Arrow Not as It Appears
by mjf2468
Summary: Ra's al Ghul wants Oliver to be his heir. What if Oliver isn't rescued from prison like at the end of 3 x 18? What does Ra's do when Oliver goes to prison? He fakes Oliver's death and brings him to Nanda Parbat. How does the team react when they find out Oliver has become Wareeth al Ghul? Read to find out if Oliver is able to escape Nanda Parbat and Ra's' grip.
1. Chapter 1: Oliver Queen prisoner

Summary: Okay, this plot bunny came my way and absolutely begged for my attention. So here it is. This story takes place at the end of episode 3x18, with the ending scene of Roy coming to Oliver's rescue NOT happening. What if Oliver was indeed taken to prison? What does Ra's do with Oliver supposedly unavailable to him?

**AN: Even though this is an AU of episode 3x19 "Broken Arrow", I have taken some events that happened and changed the characters involved. I don't owe these ideas; instead the writers of the episode, Ben Sokolowski, Brian Ford Sullivan, and Jake Coburn, do. (You'll know which details I mean when you read them)**

Oliver still could barely take in how radically his life had changed, all in a few days. Who would've thought he'd find himself arrested, his life in tatters, facing life in prison.

The words Ra's al Ghul, Head of the Demon, leader of the largest, darkest group of assassins in the world echoed in his mind. "You have two choices. You either ascend to the position of Ra's al Ghul or you will spend your life in a cage."

Guess he made his choice. Life in a cage.

They reached the police station and Lance led Oliver into the building, surrounded by onlookers. Oliver was led through the process of being booked, fingerprinted, and forms filled out. He thought back to that other time three years ago, when his mission had barely begun. How fool-hardy he was back then, thinking he could be successful at such an endeavor. All he wanted was to make his father proud, to make his father's sacrifice mean something. Now, all around him was failure. One gigantic, smoking failure.

Lance hadn't said one more word to him after their exchange in the pen wagon. However, as Oliver was led away to the cells, Lance gave him one last glare. Oliver sighed, wishing things were different. He remembered the day, in September, when the world felt new, he and Laurel standing in the sunshine watching Lance make the announcement releasing the Arrow from being hunted. How different things were now.

Later, sitting in his cell, all he could do was think. And wonder.

The next two days were difficult. The need for keeping an eye out for possible dangers was taking a toll on him. It was worse than he could've imagined, and he had imagined the worse. He had already lived the worse. There had been three attempts on his life, and that was before supper his first evening in jail.

His third day in jail began like the other two had. Walking through the cache of catcalls and insults, he walked past the general population. He was being brought to see his first visitor. He had denied everyone else, but he was strongly "encouraged" to take this particular visitor. Oliver didn't have any more resolve to refuse, so he agreed to see this visitor. Whoever it may be.

Oliver turned the corner, entered the visitor's space and stopped in his tracks. Who was sitting there waiting for him but Ra's himself with a small smile on his lips. It was strange seeing him in casual clothes, a gray sweater and blue jeans. Similar to what Oliver often wore. Oliver's lips turned into a small grimace as he made the connection. With every nerve in his body yelling to flee, he forced himself to calmly walk over to the chair on his side of the window, sit down, and pick up the phone. Ra's slowly picked up the phone on his side of the window, never breaking their glance.

"What do you want?" Oliver choked out.

"Can't a friend visit you in jail? I thought you were probably due for a friendly face."

"I still haven't seen one."

Ra's eyes twinkled. "Touché. However, I'm not wanting to kill you, unlike most of the people with whom you are currently sharing a living space."

Oliver gave Ra's a sideways nod acknowledging the truth of his statement. "So what do you really want, Ra's?"

"Just want to check with you again, to see whether you have changed your mind about my…offer."

"As much as I wish otherwise, you were correct in your…assessment of my life. I have chosen instead…to live my life in a cage. At least I still know who I am."

Ra's slowly shook his head. "You still do not understand, Oliver. It is your destiny to become Ra's al Ghul. No matter how hard you try to run away from it, it will catch up with you. Eventually." A steel glint entered his eyes. "I guarantee it."

A chill went down Oliver's spine with that comment. He closed his eyes momentarily, gathered his strength, opened them and said, "I stand by my decision."

Ra's stood up, pushed his chair into the table, and fixed a sad look upon Oliver. "If you insist. This may be the last time we see each other. You know the life expectancy of law enforcement officers in prison aren't very long, and you fall into that category. As well you know."

Oliver watched as Ra's took his leave, and a prison guard entered to escort Oliver back to his cell. Deep in thought, Oliver wasn't aware of being led a different way to his cell. Suddenly, Oliver felt something sharp go into his lower abdomen. Putting his hand to the area, he felt his blood gushing out. Gasping, he tried to turn to face his assailant, but instead crumbled to the ground. He barely registered he was in an empty, isolated part of the prison and wandered how that had happened. Darkness descended, and Oliver lost himself in the regret of a life being over.

Instead of the pearly gates of Heaven, awareness slowly returned. First, he felt the familiar discomfort in his abdomen resulting from a knife wound, then he became aware of lying in a bed, pillow under his head. He struggled to open his eyes, but the lids seemed to be too heavy. Until he heard a familiar voice whose cultured tones floated over him.

"Welcome back to Nanda Parbat, Mr. Queen."

Oliver's eyes shot open. "What have you done?"

"I decided to help expedite your decision to become the next Ra's al Ghul. One of my soldiers skillfully knifed you in a spot which is known to be especially vascular, releasing more than enough blood, but not life threatening. Of course, you were slipped a drug which lowered your vital signs to be barely distinguishable. You appeared to be dead."

"So you stole my body, leaving everyone I care about to believe I'm dead, and brought me here? You fail to see what's wrong with this scenario?"

"You are young, Mr. Queen, and you aren't as knowledgeable of the world as you would like to think. You don't appreciate yet the great gift I am able to give to you. But you will, someday." Ra's paused, then continued. "You will also realize things aren't always so black and white. Sometimes the ends do justify the means."

"Never."

"Oh, Oliver, that is not the proper attitude to take." He rose from the chair he was sitting in. "I shall leave you to rest now. Even though your wound wasn't life threatening, it was still rather serious and took a toll on your body. As did the length of your sedation to get you out of the prison and over here."

With a nod, Ra's took his leave, followed by the two guards who had been standing on either side of the door during his visit. As he left, the guards stood at attention, then followed him out. Without surprise, Oliver heard a key turn in the lock.

Oliver looked around the room, not surprised by the luxurious furnishings of gold draperies, red plush carpet, and several well-done paintings on the walls. He saw several windows, which unsurprisingly had bars on them. Oliver sighed and shook his head in disgust. _How do I get out of this mess? Ra's makes Amanda look like a kindergartner playing Candy Land._

He finally had time to note his one wrist was handcuffed to the bed. _Amateur. He actually thinks this would keep me here._ He examined the cuffs. They weren't your usual handcuffs. Instead, it was though the cuff was welded onto his wrist. A sturdy thicker chain ran from it to under the bed. _Well, maybe more than just an amateur effort. _

Oliver leaned into the pillows and gave a sigh. This wasn't good, wasn't good at all. With everyone thinking he's dead, having no idea where he is, never having heard of Nanda Parbat, Oliver wondered if it was a lost cause. A sudden weariness overcame him, prompting him to give up for the moment with trying to figure out what to do and get some needed rest.

**AN: So I was thinking about episode 3x19, and suddenly thought if Oliver went to prison instead. Then I thought to "borrow" the plan of Roy's, to fake Oliver's death instead, and to have Ra's be behind it. I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know, if you will, what you think. It is ever so much appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome Wareeth al Ghul

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I do not, just the original ideas. (I forgot this in first chapter. Oops. Don't own these wonderful characters there either, oh well.)

**AN: Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows and favs. It does a heart good to know your hard work is appreciated! Here is the next chapter. I was going to take this story a different way (a more predictable way, I now realize) but with suggestions especially from Megth and Mz Valkyrie the story will now head in this direction. evil laugh so enjoy! Also a huge shout-out to Mellovesall for discussing with me "magical herbs" and other ideas to make Oliver's life miserable.**

**Also, to my faithful guest reviewer Sumana, thank you again so much for reading, reviewing, and leaving a name. So appreciated as well! Hope you continue to enjoy this story.**

**And this chapter could also be seen as my way of coping for what I was so afraid we would see tonight. Sigh. So hang on, and enjoy! Don't forget to review as well….for it will make me happy, and make me feel better as well!**

Time passed for Oliver without his awareness of anything. He slowly became aware of his arms hurting in a strange but disheartening and familiar way, and of leaning against a cold surface. The survival instinct which had served him well over the past eight years was compelling him to open his eyes, but it was a struggle. Memories popped into his mind, and his eyes flew open. Recalling what had happened recently returned to his mind. His mouth dry, he remembered he was now at the mercy of Ra's, not knowing what his next plans were. Waking up now chained to a wall didn't help with the feeling of unease settling over him like a cloud.

First thing to do: test the restraints. He pulled on the chains and weren't surprised to find they were, without a doubt, secured tightly to the wall. Examining the manacles around his wrists, Oliver saw the same type of metal and technique from which the handcuffs from the bed were made. No appearance of a lock to be picked.

Noting the smooth walls surrounding him, Oliver's eyes travelled up to the small window at the top of the high ceiling. Bars were indeed on the window. Rays of sunshine shone through, indicating some kind of daytime hour. Wracking his brain, Oliver tried to remember what time it had been when he was awake last. Between the shock of finding himself alive and his talk with Ra's, coupled with his exhaustion, Oliver realized he hadn't had time then to figure out what time it had been. And now? He absolutely had no idea.

Checking within himself, he was pleased at least not to feel any other injury making itself known. He gingerly moved his abdominal muscles to assess the condition of his knife wound and was puzzled to feel no discomfort. Or bandage, now that he thought about it. There was no blood on the shirt he was now wearing, and no dressing on the wound. These finding could either mean days had indeed passed by, or he had been the recipient of a dunk in the Lazarus Pit.

Oliver slowly stretched his neck muscles by slowly extending his neck out to the right then the left while moving his head side to side. He felt remarkably well considering the fact he might have been spending much of his time standing upright. This puzzled him as well. Oliver was also surprised not to feel hunger pains, considering he had no recollection of eating since his last meal at the jail. Whenever that was. He wasn't liking all these facts, and he wasn't liking them at all. Ra's did say 'sometimes the ends do justify the means'. It was rapidly looking as though those 'means' included such things as torture, chemical manipulation and God knows what else.

His eyes were drawn to the door as he heard the unmistakable sounds of approaching footsteps. Oliver drew a deep cleansing breath as the door opened and Ra's walked in, followed by two of his guards.

"Hello, Oliver. How are you?" the dreaded voice of Ra's al Ghul, the leader of the deadliest band of assassins, floated to him from the doorway.

Oliver considered his reply. "Just hanging around, I guess."

Ra's nodded slightly. "Glad we haven't beaten your spirit out of you." Pausing, he looked Oliver up and down then continued. "Not yet anyway."

Oliver bit back the reply he wanted to make and instead asked, "What exactly do you want, Ra's?"

"This is what we are about to do. Tomorrow we start the initiation process. After the purification ceremony, you will spend three days in the sacred woods. If you survive, you are then considered worthy to continue on the process of becoming Ra's al Ghul."

"What if I say I don't want to be the next Ra's al Ghul?"

"Oliver, Oliver. It is rather interesting how you continue to not understand why resistance is futile."

Ra's then turned abruptly and left, followed by his guards. Oliver wanted to call him back and demand answers, but he knew it would be a wasted effort. His only action was to rest and try to gather all of his inner resources together to face the battle ahead.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

It had been a difficult week for Felicity. She didn't know how she had gotten through it. She was rather surprised, truth be told, that she had. When she had received the call from Laurel saying Oliver had been killed at the jail, Felicity couldn't believe it. Not Oliver. Not the man who had survived death so many times she actually lost count, to only come back and die in a jail fight, like some common criminal. Not supposed to happen. So not fair.

Then Thea received the telephone call from the funeral home, with lots of condolences and apologies saying how sorry they were for the mix-up but somehow Oliver had been mistakenly cremated. And his ashes lost.

How could something like this happen?

Felicity had heard of things like that happening. But usually only on flaky TV shows. Or they happened to other people, other places. Not to a millionaire's son. Not to her _friend_, her colleague, her teammate, her…the man she _loved_. The man she never had the opportunity to tell how much she loved him.

How ironic that Oliver will indeed end up with an empty grave after all of this. Like he would've been if he had never returned from that cursed island. Never became the Arrow. Never met an IT girl and changed her entire life. Blinking back tears, Felicity desperately tried to tell herself there was a part of her who wished Oliver had never returned. Then she wouldn't be hurting this bad. She furiously wiped the tears away, but more stubbornly took their place. Giving into the despair, she threw herself onto her bed once more in an attempt to drown the sorrow with her tears.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

The next morning, after spending a night of trying to rest while standing chained up, guards entered the cell and unchained Oliver from the wall. He attempted to see how the manacles were locked, but they were removed too quickly for him to see how the mechanism worked. Oliver thought it very telling when he wasn't again restrained in some manner but instead was simply led out of the cell. Of course, why wouldn't they be confident any escape attempt he made wouldn't succeed, thus negating the need for any type of handcuffs? He was only surrounded by hundreds of deadly assassins. Even the Arrow couldn't defeat them all and survive.

Oliver was led out into the outside courtyard. A van stood there, being packed up with various equipment in burlap sacks and boxes. Before he could question this, Ra's walked over to him.

"I hope you were able to get some rest, Oliver."

"Are we taking this to our destination?" Oliver asked, nodding towards the van. He refused to rise to Ra's' bait and made a point of avoiding Ra's' question. Wishing he could've made a grand gesture and walked boldly into the van without asking, Oliver decided not to take a chance of being incorrect.

"Yes, you may get in the back seat, if you please."

Oliver walked past Ra's as straight and tall as he could and got into the van. He couldn't resist looking at Ra's and wasn't surprised by the small smile on Ra's lips. A smile which failed to reach his eyes.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

The next thing Oliver knew, he was again regaining consciousness chained to the wall of the supposedly same cell he had been in…yesterday? He wracked his brain for any indication as to what day it was, what had happened…yesterday? He sighed in disgust. Nothing, he couldn't remember….anything. Oliver shook his head, but the cobwebs refused to clear. His vision was even a little blurry. Was he taken outside yesterday? A memory of sitting by a fire, cross-legged, with Ra's across from him handing him a cup of…tea? What happened after that? Oliver doubted he was wrong about what was in the tea. More than just sugar or honey.

Oliver wanted to get angry about this…but he suddenly lacked the willpower to do so. He knew he was fighting a losing battle against losing his very self. Parts of himself were already missing, he could still tell. Not knowing exactly what Ra's was doing to him prevented him from fighting against it. His last conscious thoughts were of Thea and his Felicity. He knew he had to hang onto them. The last tie to his humanity. _I'm sorry, Felicity, this may indeed be something I can't get over. I'm sorry, Thea, I tried to return to you._

The man watching behind the one-way mirror smiled. He turned to the younger man beside him. "Sarab, the time is close. Al-Saher has held onto his old life longer than I had expected, but we have finally reached the end stretch."

Sarab looked at Oliver sadly through the glass. Unfortunately _Maseo_ was still somewhere within him, and regretted having to do this to his friend. However, Sarab recognized the futility of resistance. Destiny had spoken, and made Oliver Queen the Heir to the Demon, the Wareeth al Ghul. Being Ra's would only bring his former friend riches, prestige, honor, in ways he hadn't ever dreamed, and he, Sarab, was honored to be part of the process.

"Yes, Master, it is indeed a glorious thing to see the process almost complete."

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Several more days passed, but the man who was becoming Wareeth al Ghul wasn't aware of it. Instead, memories were being exchanged for League traditions, beliefs, and goals. Time disappeared into itself, and the man lost himself in the knowledge he was now part of a larger group, of which he would someday be its ruler.

On the day of the true birth of Wareeth al Ghul, the man in question woke up in a bed, unrestrained, unaware of the significance of these facts. He no longer cared he couldn't remember his childhood, his life before the League. He wasn't even aware they weren't there anymore, just that he was filled with the purpose of fulfilling the League's goals, as determined by his ruler, Ra's al Ghul. Of living every day according to the Will of his Ruler.

Ra's was especially pleased with the results from the last two nights. He had reviewed footage showing Oliver sleeping, and was relieved to no longer observe the man tossing and turning with nightmares. It was one of the final holds his old life had held, the nightmares of those terrible years shaping Oliver Queen into the man who had caught Ra's attention in the first place. Ra's could appreciate the irony of how, in order to fulfill his purpose, Ra's had to wipe out those very memories which had shaped the man in the first place. However, as he had told the young man, the end did indeed justify the means.

Unable to hide his satisfied grin, Ra's turned to the faithful servant at his side, Sarab, and said, "Sarab, prepare the jet. Wareeth al Ghul is now ready for his first mission. In Starling City."

**AN: I probably rushed this out too soon. However, the muse ran with the plot bunny and came up with this. And then I wanted to publish it before tonight's episode, which would show this to be amazingly accurate, or totally inadequate. I didn't make that deadline. How great was that episode anyway! And how close to the mark this chapter is. Hmm….as well as some of my stories now. And then again, how so far off as well. All good.**

**Thank you again so much for reading! Here's hoping we all survive these final episodes of the season. The jury is still out on that one, I think. Hope you leave me a review and reward that pesky Muse. She is demanding, that's for sure. **


	3. Chapter 3: Team Arrow Gets a Surprise

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I don't; I just wish I did. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you for the reviews, favs and follows for this story. Fair warning, I'm taking events from episodes 3x21 and 22 and turning them on their head. Putting them in a blender, mixing them up, and seeing what we get. Because I can. Because maybe this is where I wish the episode would've gone instead of the direction it did go in. Or I just have a twisted imagination at times. Heehee. Hope you enjoy!**

Previously:

_Unable to hide his satisfied grin, Ra's turned to the faithful servant at his side, Sarab, and said, "Sarab, prepare the jet. Wareeth al Ghul is now ready for his first mission. In Starling City."_

Ra's was pleased with the progress of his heir, and how well his plan was going. Next on his agenda: retrieving his rebellious daughter. He couldn't believe she actually left Nanda Parbat over his offer to Queen. After being raised within all the traditional beliefs of the League, she should understand he had to stick with them. Prophecy had spoken, with Queen's survival despite Ra's' sword. Ra's grudgingly admitted to himself he had made a mistake in allowing his daughter to be raised in such a non-traditional manner. He had allowed her to carry the title Heir to the Demon because at the time he really had believed he wouldn't find a man as capable as his daughter to lead his kingdom. How could he be held responsible for first meeting a man like Bruce Wayne, then Oliver Queen? Even though he had been disappointed with how it had turned out with Wayne, he was determined not to make any mistakes with Queen. Thus his decision in using the less subtle techniques of using torture, brain-washing drugs and herbs, and other practices he had once sworn he would no longer use. However, he had never met such an individual like Queen, with such a strong personality. Once turned, however, Ra's knew Queen would not disappoint him.

And once she understood how perfect the plan was, to marry Queen and beget him blood heirs, Ra's knew Nyssa would accept her fate as well. She would understand how the blending of their blood with the one individual who had been chosen by the prophets was indeed meant to be. Nyssa would then gladly assist Wareeth in ruling his kingdom for centuries to come, as well as guiding their progeny in the ways of the League.

He was slightly concerned with the plan his heir had come up with in order to retrieve Nyssa. Wareeth al Ghul insisted he be allowed to go by himself, only accompanied by Sarab. Wareeth had brought up a persuasive argument. "It's my opportunity to prove to you my loyalty. And my ability to accomplish the goals of the League. If I'm unable to do this on my own, how can I be considered worthy to be your heir?" Ra's thought one could question the true reason for his heir's plan, but he himself had seen the effectiveness of the brainwashing. He didn't have any reason to doubt the effectiveness of his techniques. He didn't question Wareeth's loyalty, and so he'll allow him to proceed with his plan to go by himself to collect his daughter.

Upon their arrival in Starling City, Ra's and the two guards accompanying them headed for the League safe house, Sarab and Oliver headed for the planned meeting place to set up the signal fire. Sarab was impressed by the amount of trust from Ra's, in allowing only the two of them to go after Nyssa. He had indeed seen for himself how committed his former friend had become to their cause. Sarab then had to agree with his Master. It was only right to trust Wareeth.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Nyssa was pleased with the progress Laurel had been making in her fighting skills. She wouldn't ever confess it to Laurel, but Nyssa had her doubts in the beginning about whether the teaching would be successful. Once Laurel had begun the process of forgetting herself while fighting, she had improved by leaps and bounds. Nyssa now held no doubt Laurel would continue to improve. She may not ever reach the level of skill which Sara, Laurel's sister and Nyssa's beloved, had held but Nyssa was confident she would be more than adequate.

The other thing taking Nyssa by surprise was the connection she was feeling with the other young woman. What had first began as a means to maintain some sort of connection with her dead Beloved, had now evolved into a meaningful friendship. Due to her unusual youth Nyssa had grown up with little opportunity for developing friendships, especially with her own gender. Being the Heir to the Demon meant she spent the majority of her time being isolated from others. Becoming friends with Laurel was adding something missing to Nyssa's life, healing some of the wounds left by her strange upbringing.

Nyssa was walking home from a satisfying afternoon of training with Laurel and a supper where Laurel had introduced her to the concept of potatoes fried to a crisp and ice cream made into a drink called a milk shake. Nyssa knew the food itself was very unhealthy but she took pleasure in watching Laurel enjoy herself in the simple act of introducing Nyssa to the decadent taste of simplified sugars. It was indeed refreshing and new, to relax and simply enjoy being with someone who wasn't trying to kill you.

Nyssa stopped her reflecting and turned to look across the cavern at the edge of the city. Her eyes caught a strange fire burning. After being here for a month with no word from her father, she had foolishly believed he had indeed given up on her. The presence of the fire spoke differently. It was a call-back to the old-fashioned ways of the League members to communicate with one another. However, she was torn. If her father indeed changed his mind and wanted her back, she suddenly felt better. Less broken by the rejection of a parent who had barely ever given her his love throughout her childhood and who had recently broken her trust once again. Because perhaps her father had changed his mind.

However, the part of her which was League-raised, unswayed by emotions, knew that idea was incorrect. Her father didn't want her back because he had changed his mind. He wanted her back because it didn't make him look good if she didn't obey him. The great ruler Ra's had to be obeyed and feared, even by his very own daughter. He couldn't afford to have her out in the world, disobeying him.

Suddenly developing a headache, Nyssa rubbed her forehead. She knew what she had to do, even though she didn't want to. She needed to face whoever was here from the League, battle them, and win. Only in this way would she be really free. But only if she would win the battle. She closed her eyes, breathed in and out slowly a few times, and collected her serenity. Squaring her shoulders, Nyssa turned and headed for the site of the signal.

Unbeknownst to Nyssa, Team Arrow was also gearing up for an attack. They were in their new lair situated in the Palmer Technologies Applied Science building. Diggle had first noticed the fires on the computer screens monitoring the city's activities, and called Felicity's attention to it. "Is that what I think it is? Why would they come back to town? Oliver is no longer here, and I thought they kicked Nyssa out."

"Yes, Diggle, it does look like a League fire signal. I agree, who would they be signaling?" Felicity gave a grimace. "Maybe it's for Merlyn."

Laurel looked at the computer screen over Felicity's shoulder. "I don't think so, because Merlyn is still hiding his slimy self away from them. If they wanted him, the League would have to track him down. I don't think it's Merlyn." Meeting Diggle's eyes, she said, "I don't like this. I think they're here for Nyssa, even though she said she wouldn't be contacted any more by the League. "

"Would Nyssa go back to the League if that's why they're here? Oliver is…dead, after all."

"No, she's hurt by her father's actions. It's something we have in common. Trouble with our fathers." Laurel worried her lower lip. "I don't think they have Nyssa's best interests in mind. Even if Oliver is gone." Turning to Diggle, she asked, "Do you mind, Dig, joining me in making sure everything is okay? I'd feel a whole lot better if we go to the signal site and just make sure everything is okay."

Diggle asked, "Do we really need to help out the woman who tried to kill Oliver?"

Laurel looked at Diggle, hurt in her eyes. "Come on, John. Nyssa isn't her father. And she did take care of Sara all those years while she was gone. I have that reason alone to make sure she's okay"

Diggle reluctantly agreed. She did have a point. Nyssa did save Sara from certain death, and Diggle considered Sara to be one of the best friends he ever had. Of course, he owed the woman who took care of his daughter's namesake.

Laurel turned to Felicity. "You'll man the comms for me?" she asked in a quiet voice, pleading in her eyes.

"Of course. Keep her safe," Felicity said with a smile.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Nyssa approached the designated area with caution. She failed to see any danger, but she kept her senses aware. Turning around she observed two men walking out of the smoke from the fire. They both had their faces masked behind the traditional headgear of the League, wearing the League uniforms.

"Your father requests your return to the land of your birth, Nanda Parbat, to assist in the grooming of the new heir." Said a voice she failed to recognize. Nyssa wondered who this mysterious man was. She recognized Sarab as the man accompanying the stranger.

_Oliver is dead. Of whom could this man be referring? _"My father knows my answer. I have left, never to return, due to his failure to include me in his rule. I don't care if the man he selected over me is dead. I don't care who he has picked over me. I am not going back."

"Your refusal can only result in your death."

"Then death it is, but only if you succeed with killing me. I wouldn't make it easy for you," Nyssa said, as she jumped at the man, sword drawn, ready to administer a killing strike.

The man was quicker however, anticipating the attack, and countered Nyssa's strike with a block followed by a roundhouse kick. Nyssa fell backwards but was able to regain her balance in time to block a strike from the unknown assailant. A fierce battle then ensued, with various strikes and kicks from both. However, the man was able to finally get in a punch, sending Nyssa skidding along the ground. Before she could catch her breath and rise, Nyssa found herself pinned to the ground in a chokehold. Becoming faint, Nyssa saw two figures climb over the barricade onto the roof and approach the group.

One figure opened fire upon the two League members while the other, a woman in a black mask, opened her mouth, from which a shrill cry came. Nyssa attempted to clear her vision, and realized the woman was Laurel. The man must be Mr. Diggle, under the balaclava hiding his face.

Nyssa felt herself falling to the ground and her assailant falling next to her. Just as quickly, however, her assailant rose and began shooting arrows at the two fighters. However, he was only able to shoot a few times before he dropped his bow, grabbing his lower arm in pain. An arrow was embedded in it. He glared in a different direction from the first assailants, grabbed the arrow, and ripped it out of his arm. He then bent down, presumably to reach for his bow, when he fell over.

In the meantime, Nyssa blurrily watched Laurel and Sarab battle, arms and legs flying as they both attempted to get the upper hand. Suddenly an arrow flew and caught Sarab in the upper chest. He then fell over in a faint as well.

Thea had reached Nyssa's side, and Nyssa felt her hands gingerly checking her for injuries. "How are you Nyssa? Can you answer me?'

Nyssa fought through the fog. "Yes, I...I think so. Why are you here?"

"Malcolm told me he thought I should check the fire out. I'm glad I did, to help Laurel and Diggle."

Diggle had checked out Sarab, and was relieved to see he wasn't hurt, just unconscious. Laurel, meanwhile, had carefully approached the unknown assailant. She pulled off his mask and gave out a loud cry. With blank eyes, she looked at the others, mouth open but unable to speak.

Diggle rushed to her side and looked down at the man. He took a step back, covering his mouth with his hand. He looked at Laurel, then back at the man lying on the ground. "Oliver? How can it be Oliver?"

Thea rushed over, and began to check her brother over for possible injuries. "He seems not to be injured." She looked at Laurel and Diggle. "How could he be here? Why were we told he died?"

Nyssa struggled to sit straighter. "It must have been my father. He faked Oliver's death so he could take him to Nanda Parbat, and…to brainwash him into becoming his heir, since he refused Father's offer at first." Looking at the group, she said, "There really is no way to say no to my father. In anything." Continuing despite the difficulty of the subject, Nyssa attempted to explain to the group. "You must prepare yourselves. Oliver Queen no longer exists. He is now your enemy."

Diggle looked at the young woman, and his expression hardened. "Well, Ra's is going to get a no now. There is no way he's getting Oliver back, or taking you either." Walking over to Sarab and picking him up, Diggle said, "Let's get going. I want to be back at the lair before these two wake up."

**AN: Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed it. This is so very AU. Not what I had expected when I first started writing this, but that's what makes it so much fun. Please let me know what you think, if you wish. It would really, really make my day. Hope to see you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4: What do we do Now?

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I don't; I just wish I did. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you for all the reviews, favs and follows. Sure hope you enjoy this next chapter. Kinda proud of it myself. This story keeps surprising me. **

_Nyssa struggled to sit straighter. "It must have been my father. He faked Oliver's death so he could take him to Nanda Parbat, and…to brainwash him into becoming his heir, since he refused Father's offer at first." Looking at the group, she said, "There really is no way to say no to my father. In anything." Continuing despite the difficulty of the subject, Nyssa attempted to explain to the group. "You must prepare yourselves. Oliver Queen no longer exists. He is now your enemy."_

_Diggle looked at the young woman, and his expression hardened. "Well, Ra's is going to get a no now. There is no way he's getting Oliver back, or taking you either." Walking over to Sarab and picking him up, Diggle said, "Let's get going. I want to be back at the lair before these two wake up."_

A somber group entered the new Arrow lair. Diggle first carried in Oliver, then Maseo, placing them both on the floor of the jail cell Ray had built into the new Lair. Laurel and Nyssa wasn't far behind, followed by Thea talking on her cell phone.

Felicity asked Thea, "Who are you talking to?"

"Me." All eyes looked up as Malcolm entered the Lair, then all glared at Thea.

"What? I thought he should know the state of his gigantic mess is now." Turning to the man she grudgingly admitted to having blood ties to, she said, "I thought maybe you can help us get out of this.

Nyssa stated, "And I suppose he should be included in the cone of protection. Even though my father would just love to get his hands on you, Magician."

Malcolm cocked an eyebrow at her and shrugged. "Since you are all so welcoming, I can just take my leave, if you want."

As he turned to leave the room, Laurel said, "You better stay and help us figure this out. Otherwise, I will kill you myself."

"Promises, promises."

Nyssa grabbed Laurel's arm as she was about to strike Malcolm. "Not worth it," Nyssa said softly.

"We have bigger things to handle at this time. But Merlyn, you be warned." Laurel promptly ignored the smirk appearing on Malcolm's face.

Diggle looked at the two men in the cage, and said to the group. "Let's go discuss this in the other room for a moment."

Felicity said, "I'll just stay here and keep an eye on my babies as they do their searches."

Diggle said softly, "You be okay being alone with them?"

"Yeah, sure, you guys will be in the next room, after all."

Felicity immersed herself into her work so as to avoid looking at the men in the cage. Oliver regained consciousness thirty minutes after arriving at their new lair. Felicity pondered how some things don't change as she watched him regain consciousness as she had hundreds of times before. Oliver startled as much as he usually did as he awakened this time. He probably would've fallen off a table if he had been placed on one. However, this time was different. Instead of the med table, he was lying on the floor. Of a jail cell. And she was watching him wake up from a distance, instead of hovering over him like she usually did.

How fortuitous that Ray had scrupulously copied every detail of the Arrow cave, down to the jail cell, during the renovation of the fifth floor offices of the Applied Sciences building to replace the lost Arrow lair. Felicity had rolled her eyes at Ray's silliness at the time for insisting on copying the smallest detail. However, it was proving to be very useful at the moment. For he had included a jail cell, even though Felicity had thought at the time how pointless it was to include such an unnecessary thing.

Felicity continued to think about how different things were now. This time, instead of an ARGUS or LOA member as an enemy, Oliver was the enemy. Per Nyssa's advice, until they knew differently, he was to be kept locked up and at a cautious distance. Felicity watched as Oliver completely woke up, looked around his surroundings, and focused his attention upon her. Instead of seeing the familiar light in his eyes when he looked at her in the past, it was almost like he was looking at her through the eyes of a stranger.

"Where am I? Who are you? And how dare you restrain the Wareeth al Ghul."

Felicity startled, surprised at the question. It did indeed sound as though he didn't know them. And what did he call himself?

At the sound of Oliver's voice, the rest of the group rushed into the room. As they heard the unfamiliar name, all eyes went to Nyssa. "It means 'Heir to the Demon'," she explained.

Felicity approached Oliver. "Oliver, what do you mean? Don't you recognize us? Why don't you know us?"

"Who is this Oliver? My name is Wareeth al Ghul and I demand you release me and my servant this very moment. Or risk the wrath of Ra's al Ghul himself."

Diggle gently pulled Felicity out of Oliver's reach and stepped in front of her. "What do you mean by attacking my friend?"

"Her father wishes only for Nyssa to return to Nanda Parbat. I wasn't going to kill her. I only wished to restrain her in order to abide by my Master's request and bring her back to her home."

Felicity fought against the tears threatening behind her eyes. She couldn't understand what was happening. The man she loved, who was declared dead only three short weeks ago, suddenly shows up, attempting to kill Nyssa and his very best friends, the ones he had most certainly declared to be like family. Not only that, but now he was looking at all of them as though he'd never met them before in his life. What indeed was going on?

Diggle approached Nyssa and grabbed her by the throat. "What did your father do to Oliver?"

Laurel rushed to Diggle's side, grasping his arm and attempted to pull off his grip on her friend. "Digg! This isn't her fault. Let her go."

Nyssa escaped Digg's grasp. "I am sorry. Like I said, my father must have used our traditions in order to 'persuade' Oliver to the League way of thinking."

"I agree with Nyssa," Malcolm said. "The League indeed has many well-proven techniques to produce this level of brainwashing."

"Brain washing? No, Oliver wouldn't be brainwashed," Felicity protested.

Malcolm shook his head. "Even the mighty Oliver Queen cannot resist the League methods."

Diggle said, "Cutting to the chase, what can we do to correct this?"

Swallowing hard, Nyssa met Diggle's eyes boldly. "There is little we can do." Looking at Laurel, she continued. "If you intend on keeping Oliver, you must be prepared for war. You need to gather all of your loved ones, to keep them safe from the League, and we must come up with a battle plan."

"What do you mean?"

"My father will use whatever and whoever he can to get what he wants. So, he could kidnap one of your loved ones to use as leverage to get Oliver and me back."

Diggle and Laurel exchanged glances. Diggle swallowed and said, "That's a good point. So…we should do this now, I suppose."

"Yay. This means I get to try to explain to my father why he needs to take time off of work and come with me. Because Oliver, his most _favorite person in the world_ is now brainwashed and he and Nyssa's father are gunning for all of us. Oh joy." Laurel exchanged a look with Nyssa.

Malcolm said, smirking, "I don't envy you, Ms. Lance." Laurel pointedly ignored Malcolm and kept her attention upon Felicity.

Felicity looked at the group. "Yes, I think, Diggle, you should get Lyla and Sara, and Laurel, your dad. I first thought we should tell them to leave town, but that's no good. I'm sure Ra's would be able to track them down. We can't afford to take that chance." Looking down, she took a breath then meeting Diggle's eyes she said, "We should all stay here. To be safe."

Diggle nodded. "Yes, that's a good point. But is there enough room here for all of us?"

A faint blush covered Felicity's cheeks. "Yes, the penthouse is large enough for all of us. As well as having the security to be totally secure."

Diggle was about to ask how she knew for sure, but then remembered the short relationship between Felicity and Ray. Felicity noticed Diggle also began to blush a little. Covering his embarrassment, Diggle said quickly, "Okay, Laurel, let's go."

Looking at Malcolm, not bothering to hide her distrust, Felicity said, "I guess you need to go pack and come stay here as well. You and Thea."

Malcolm looked at his daughter and said, "We will stick together and go to our places to get what we need." He and Thea left without another word.

Suddenly remembering the situation, Diggle looked at Oliver in the cage, then back at Felicity. "Are you going to be okay by yourself?"

Felicity also looked at Oliver, pacing the cage in a way which reminded Felicity of those times she watched animals on the TV show Wild Kingdom. "Of course. Why not? The cell is secure. I won't let him out."

"Not saying you would. But just….just be careful."

Felicity rolled her eyes. "I sure will."

During the exchange Oliver, or Wareeth, listened without a word, taking in everything. The look on his face chilled Felicity to the bone. This wasn't her Oliver. It was a stranger who looked back at them. _What did Ra's do to him?_

Diggle walked to the cage, checked the lock and the bars. After ensuring all was secure, he nodded at Laurel and they left. Felicity attempted to tamp down the sudden uneasiness she felt by being left alone with a man she no longer knew, or could trust. She returned to her seat behind the computer, and Oliver took a seat on the cage floor, never dropping his gaze from Felicity.

_Oh frak. I need to call Ray to let him know about these developments._ She called his number, but the call went straight to voice mail. Sighing in frustration, Felicity said in the message, "Ray, please call me back as soon as possible. I need to update you on something."

Hanging up, her attention was drawn again to the cell as she heard sounds from the other man with Oliver waking up. Felicity was surprised at the unguarded look of fear which crossed his face as he took in the bars of their cage and Oliver's presence beside him. The look quickly disappeared, and a similar blank look appeared on his face as Oliver turned to look at him. Felicity filed the interesting reaction to think about later.

"Are you aware you are risking the wrath of Ra's by imprisoning his Heir and his servant?" Maseo asked.

"Yeah, yeah, Oliver said the same thing." Felicity dismissed the question, with a wave of her hand. She then became embarrassed, looked at the offending hand, and dropped it into her lap.

"There is no more Oliver. Only Wareeth al Ghul exists now."

Felicity slammed the folder she was holding in her hand and swung towards the cage. "I wish both of you would quit saying that. It isn't true. I am looking at Oliver Queen. Not this Wareeth al Ghul."

The unknown man looked at her sadly. "I apologize but you don't know how wrong you are. I hope Ra's will show you mercy and kill you quickly once he arrives. You seem to be a caring individual. I won't want you to suffer long."

Felicity bit the side of her cheek to prevent her from displaying her fear at his statement. She shook her head and said, "That will not be happening."

She startled when she heard the door open. She grabbed the only thing resembling a weapon close to her, a stapler, and turned towards the door. Ray came bounding in looked at her defensive position and asked, "Oh, expecting someone else?"

"Oh, Ray, there you are. I've been trying to get a hold of you. Um, we have some news."

Ray came to a stop as he looked at the cell, noticing the inhabitants. "We have company." Taking in Oliver's League outfit, and the unknown man beside him, he asked, "What has happened? Why is Oliver in a cage? Wearing that? And who's this with him?" His eyes darted around, suddenly processing some information as his brain caught up with his mouth. "Wait a minute. Weren't we told Oliver was dead?"

Against her will, Felicity's lips quirked a little at Ray's reaction. _How like Ray to react to this deadly situation in his usual nerdy fashion. _"It appears as though Ra's faked Oliver's death, brainwashed him, and sent him back to Starling to collect Nyssa. Luckily Digg, Laurel and Thea was able to stop that from happening, and captured them instead."

"Wow. Quite a lot has happened."

"Yeah, and one more thing. We all have to stay here until this has been taken care of."

Ray blinked several times at Felicity. "Oh. Well, why?"

"Ra's will probably attempt to get Oliver and Nyssa back, and thus would use any one of us as a means to accomplish his goal."

"Oh, so we have to prevent any of us from being taken as hostage."

"Yes."

"This should be interesting," Ray said with his usual cocky grin. "I guess I better prepare for my guests."

**AN: Kind of an abrupt ending…but otherwise it would go on and on, I suppose. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you like, I sure hope you will let me know if I provided enough chill with Wareeth. I tried. At least Team Arrow knows Oliver is alive. Stay tuned to see whether they can get Oliver back, or what will Ra's do. **


	5. Chapter 5: The Stakes are Raised

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I don't; I just wish I did. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you for all the reviews, favs, and follows, especially for the guest reviews which I can't respond to individually. Sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter out. Hope you enjoy this next installment. **

Previously:

"_Yeah, and one more thing. We all have to stay here until this has been taken care of."_

_Ray blinked several times at Felicity. "Oh. Well, why?"_

"_Ra's will probably attempt to get Oliver and Nyssa back, and thus would use any one of us as a means to accomplish his goal." _

"_Oh, so we have to prevent any of us from being taken as hostage."_

"_Yes."_

"_This should be interesting," Ray said with his usual cocky grin. "I guess I better prepare for my guests."_

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Malcolm and Thea were just returning to Ray's penthouse. They parked in the underground garage, got out, and began to walk to the exit. A van pulled up suddenly, and six assassins jumped out. Nodding to his daughter, Malcolm took out his collapsible Bo staff, quickly put it together, and began to fight the assassins. Thea took the knives she had from her ankle sheath and also began to fight. If he wasn't so preoccupied, Malcolm would have had a touch of fatherly pride in how well Thea was fighting. However, even though they each knocked out two assassins, another van drove up, with four more assassins getting out and joining the fight.

Even though they were able to get two more each, one assassin distracted Thea, and a second one was able to get her into a choke hold. Unable to get a good foothold to bring her assailant over her back, Thea felt consciousness slipping. Just as quickly, however, the pressure stopped. However, just as Malcolm engaged Thea's assailant another one engaged Thea, caught her in a roundhouse kick, knocking her backwards. Malcolm was keeping the two soldiers at bay, with his Bo staffs, when a third one got a lucky strike in his abdomen. As he bent forward, the assailant brought his staff on Malcolm's head, knocking him unconscious. Meanwhile, Thea had attempted to get up from being knocked backwards but before she could regain her footing, her assailant hit her with an upper cut. Thea was thrown again against the pavement, head hitting the paved surface, knocking her out.

The two Merlyns were picked up, carried over to the first van, and thrown in the back. The fallen LOA soldiers were brought to the other van by their colleagues. After all of the soldiers were settled, the two vans squealed off to parts unknown.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Laurel burst into the police station in her characteristic frantic way. Diggle had offered to accompany her, but she had refused. "It would go quicker if you collect your family while I talk with mine. We will meet at the Foundry."

Her father looked up in annoyance at the interruption, and the look only intensified when he saw who had barged in his office without invitation. "Hello, Laurel. I thought we were going to give each other some space."

"I….I have a huge favor to ask you, Dad."

The annoyance only increased on her father's face. "And here I thought you understood I am still angry with you."

_Maybe I should have taken Diggle up on his offer to be here with me. _"Dad, without going into too much detail, I need you to take a few days off of work and stay with me and the group…." Laurel looked out towards the other desks, but didn't observe anyone listening, so she continued, "in a secure house."

"What? Why would I agree to something like that?"

"I would like to think you'd still have enough belief in our family to take my word that it's necessary to do so."

"You seem to have forgotten how you lied to me. For months. Why would I believe anything you have to say? Especially since you're still running around with Queen."

Laurel sighed, trying to tamp down the familiar frustration only her father could elicit within her. Keeping her voice calm, she said, "Because Ra's al Ghul is gunning for all of us. Even you. As a means to get Oliver back. Because Ra's brainwashed Oliver, who then went after Nyssa and tried to kill Diggle. We captured Oliver and his servant, but Ra's will try to use any of us to get Oliver and Nyssa back. So we all need to go to the safe house, so we aren't used as leverage against the team."

Lance was taken aback by his daughter's uncharacteristic rapid rush of words. He also attempted to assimilate the large amount of information she had just shared with him. Queen brainwashed? Trying to kill Diggle? Possibly threatening his daughter as well? He sighed and looked at Laurel, who was waiting expectantly for his reply. No way could he deny the bitterness still residing within him, but Lance was realistic enough to acknowledge a threat when he heard one. Whether he liked it or not, his safety, as well as his remaining daughter's, rested upon him not acting like a stubborn old goat. He gave a frustrated sigh and looked up at his daughter.

"I have many questions, but I suppose I better get those answers later. I'm sure I can also count on your insistence on accompanying me to my apartment to pick up what I need for a few days, I suppose?"

Laurel offered an apologetic look, but thanking God her father had agreed so willingly to the arrangements. "Yes, and we should leave as soon as possible."

Lance sighed loudly and began to shuffle the papers on his desk. "Give me five minutes to clear up some things. Then we will head out."

Laurel sat down in one of the chairs across from his desk and settled in for a wait. Hopefully it wouldn't be as long as she feared.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

As the entire Team Arrow and family members arrived at Ray's penthouse, they gathered in the main computer room. Felicity breathed a sigh of relief when Lance arrived with Laurel. Laurel shot the young woman a relieved look and Felicity winked back at her. Walking over to them, Felicity held out a hand to Lance.

"Thank you, Captain, for coming here with Laurel."

Lance gave a characteristic 'humph', hesitated, but then took the hand Felicity offered and gave it a gentle squeeze. "She didn't actually gave me a choice, did she?"

Felicity felt brave and patted Lance on the arm. "We're glad you're here, Captain." She felt a little better when Lance gave her a little nod. Felicity turned back to her computer, knowing she shouldn't push her luck any further at this time but happy some progress had been made in repairing their relationship. At least Lance didn't totally give her the cold shoulder.

Felicity's attention was then drawn with the arrival of the Diggle family. She rushed to Diggle's side and gathered little Sara in her arms, who gave her Aunt Felicity a huge toothless grin. Pulling her attention away from Sara's cooing, she directed Lyla and Diggle to a room down the hall where they could place their luggage.

The next to arrive was Roy, who had left to visit a friend shortly after they had heard Oliver had "died". At the time, he needed to get away, leave town for a few days. As soon as he heard Oliver was alive, he sped back to town and headed straight to the new Lair.

Felicity gave him a big hug, having first placed Sara in her travelling crib. "Thanks for coming back so quickly."

"I was certainly surprised to hear about Oliver, that's for sure." Looking at his mentor in the cage, Roy shook his head. "How can this happen? I thought with everything he went through, he would be able to survive anything the League would throw at him."

Felicity shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it has to do with Ra's being alive for over 400 years. You'd think he would've learned a thing or two more about brainwashing and torturing people than Oliver would be familiar with."

Roy couldn't argue with that kind of logic. Looking around the room, Roy asked, "Thea not here yet?"

Diggle said, upon entering the room, "What? I would think they should be here by now."

"We're all here, except Thea and Malcolm. Should we be worried?" Laurel asked.

Diggle said, "I'm sure we don't have to be. I mean, why would they be nabbed? Any one of us would be easier for the League to grab, I would think."

Suddenly, the quiet was broken by a scream from Laurel, who had caught a glimpse of one of Felicity's computer screens. "Felicity, look!"

One of Felicity's security scans of the city was again showing a strange burning on the edge of town, like it had done the day before. Nyssa walked over to the screen and took a long look at it.

"I warned you, you should not interfere with the Master's plans," the man named Sarab said from the cell.

"Unfortunately, he is correct. I fear the Magician and his daughter have been captured by my father," Nyssa said, with a resigned look upon her face, after reading the message within the fires.

Felicity exchanged looks with Diggle. She closed her eyes and swallowed deeply. She had no idea what they could do, except for the obvious. The most distasteful option of handing over Nyssa, Oliver and Maseo. Without getting Oliver back. But how could they do that?

Diggle could almost read her mind. He said with a grimace, "Felicity, you know we have no other option."

"Yeah, I know. I just don't like it. Unless Nyssa, you have any ideas?"

Nyssa looked at the Team. She wondered if they stood a chance at outsmarting her father. Diggle could tell she was appraising them, and spoke up. "We will back you with whatever plan you come up with, Nyssa."

"You are foolish if you think you can stand up to Ra's al Ghul. If you surrender now, I will broker leniency for all of you." The deeper voice of Wareeth al Ghul came out of the body of the man they had recently considered as a friend.

Before Diggle could restrain her, Felicity rushed the cage. "Please, Oliver. Break through the brainwash and come back to us. We need you like we've never needed you before."

Oliver fixed her a glare which caused her to back away. "I do not know why you talk to me like this. I do not know this man Oliver, or why would I leave my Master to be with you?"

Diggle stopped her as Felicity was about to reach for Oliver. "Felicity, no. It's too dangerous to get within arms' reach of him, when he is like this." Meeting the eyes of the man who he had once considered as 'brother', Diggle again marveled at the cold, impersonal look he found in those familiar blue eyes. A cold chill went all the way to his toes at the menace he saw in those eyes.

"While I think it's a very considerate offer, Wareeth, I believe we will not be accepting it. Instead, we will find a way to beat Ra's." _And get you back to us, my friend. _Turning, Diggle said to his team, "I think we should go into the other room to plan our strategy."

As the team turned to leave the room, the words of the one whom they had once considered to be their leader followed them. "It will not help you. You will not be successful."

The team, as a whole, chose to ignore Wareeth's parting shot as they left the room. Wareeth, however, took some satisfaction in seeing several individuals shudder as his remark made the intended impression upon them. He watched as the group left the room, his lips curving into a thin mirthless smile. _They have no idea what is in store for them once Ra's gets ahold of them._

**AN: There it is. Will Team Arrow be successful? Or will Oliver be truly lost to them? Thank you so much for reading, and hope you will make the Muse happy with a review. **


	6. Chapter 6: Preparing for Battle

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I don't; I just wish I did. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: This chapter….sigh…didn't get written until I stopped trying to write what I thought I wanted to write. The scene I had in mind when I first started this story. Then I realized it wasn't going to work in the way I had thought. Sigh. Then all sorts of things happened. ****Luckily it ended up to be far more interesting...and different...than I had originally planned. Ha. Hope you enjoy. Thank you again SOO much for all the reviews, especially the guest reviews, the follows and favs. Always nice to have. **

Previously:

_Diggle stopped her as Felicity was about to reach for Oliver. "Felicity, no. It__'__s too dangerous to get within arms' reach of him, when he is like this." Meeting the eyes of the man who he had once considered as 'brother', Diggle again marveled at the cold, impersonal look he found in those familiar blue eyes. A cold chill went all the way to his toes at the menace he saw in those eyes. _

"_While I think __i__t__'__s a very considerate offer, Wareeth, I believe we will not be accepting it. Instead, we will find a way to beat Ra's." And get you back to us, my friend. Turning, Diggle said to his team, "I think we should go into the other room to plan our strategy."_

"_It will not help you. You will not be successful."_

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

The team, as a whole, chose to ignore Wareeth's parting shot as they left the room. The room they retired to was more like a conference room, with enough chairs around a large table. Something Ray had decided to add to the plans, as an improvement he felt would only benefit the team. Ray watched as the group marched in and sat down. Laurel, Diggle, and Nyssa took seats near the head of the table, while Quentin, Lyla, and Felicity took seats on opposite sides of the table. Roy hesitated and was about to take the seat at the head of the table, then changed his mind and sat next to Felicity. Ray took the seat at the head of the table.

Ray looked at the group, suddenly undecided as to how to proceed. "So, guys, what is our plan? If I may say so, I'm sure I can add something to the effort. This Ra's guy doesn't know me and the ATOM suit will be a surprise."

"Now the objective is...what? Kill Ra's?" Roy asked.

"I would think your objective is to get back the Merlyns without anybody getting harmed, and preventing the turning over of Oliver, Maseo and myself over to my father." Nyssa stated. "I am not certain whether we can accomplish this." After a moment she continued. "Unfortunately we don't have a lot of time to plan. We are to meet them in two hours. Ready to hand Oliver, Sarab and me over in exchange for the Merlyns."

"Which gives them plenty of time to set up an ambush as well."

"Is this even possible? How can we do this?" Felicity asked, in a moment of uncharacteristic doubting. "The surveillance tape showed at least ten League soldiers attacking the Merlyns. God knows how many more brainwashed assassins Ra's brought with him."

"And I suppose we would be safe in assuming they will all be at the meeting area?" Diggle asked.

Lyla exchanged looks with her husband. "The only thing in our favor would be the element of surprise. So how can we increase our chances with that?"

Laurel, debating whether to ask, decided to ask anyway. "Have you asked Barry if he could help, Felicity?"

Felicity sat back in her chair, letting out a huge sigh, between pursed lips. She looked at the group, and shook her head. "He has been really, really busy, having his own set of criminals hell-bent on destroying Central City. But…" she pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number. She rose, and walked out of the room. "Barry? Hi. How are you?"

The remaining members looked amongst themselves. Quentin couldn't believe he was seeing the famous Arrow team at a crossroads. However, without the man himself, their leader and creator, he could understand why they weren't at their usual effectiveness.

"So I assume this Barry is the speedster then?" came out of his lips before he could stop it. His daughter turned to him in surprise.

Laurel rolled her eyes. Since the danger was apparently past them, with the League nabbing their chosen hostages, in theory her father would have been free to go. Since he had been uncharacteristically quiet, she herself had forgotten him there. Placing her team in danger. From her own father. Shaking her head, she told herself to stop with recriminations. What's done was done. She'd just have to deal with results later, provided they survived this upcoming battle. So now her father was here, discovering the rest of Team Arrow's secrets. Perhaps it could turn into a good thing.

Felicity returned with a small smile on her face. "Well, he is…busy, but says he is able to help us. I told him the timeframe, and he said he will be here. So we have to work out the details of how this is going to go down."

Nyssa decided to speak up. "So, my father will be expecting several of you to accompany us to the meeting place."

"Will he expect us to put up a fight?" Diggle asked.

"Unfortunately, yes, he will not be fooled into not expecting some type of double-cross."

"So could Ray and Barry scout out the area and take out all the assassins who would undoubtedly be posted around the meeting area?" Laurel asked.

"I am sure they are already there, having scouted the area. We will not be able to arrange an ambush."

A discussion proceeded, where it was decided Lyla and Laurel would assist Ray and Barry take out the assassins on the perimeter, and Roy and Diggle would accompany Nyssa into the building to make the exchange. Felicity would remain in the van providing tech support. Even though Quentin volunteered his services, he was undoubtedly overruled by almost everyone in the room.

"You were just saying how outnumbered you are."

"Dad, we appreciate your offer. We really do. You don't know how dangerous these people are."

"You forget, I have faced them before. With Sara."

"But that was only three. This is an entire army." Laurel hated arguing with her father. He was so stubborn.

Quentin looked at the faces of the young people in front of him. How could he allow them to go off and do battle without helping them in some way. Even if it did scare him.

"Please, Detective. It really will be okay," Felicity said with her most winningest smile begging for his understanding and agreement. "We don't need your assistance."

"At least let me be your second pair of eyes in the van, Felicity."

Diggle and Felicity exchanged looks, and Diggle shrugged his shoulders. They both looked at Laurel. She shrugged and sighed. "Okay, Dad, that does sound like a good idea."

The group then hammered out various details of the plan. Felicity could tell everyone was, like her, less than confident in the plan, but she knew it was the best they could come up with. Without Oliver, they were missing a huge part of their team. Feeling somewhat confident they had done all they could, the group entered into the main area. Only to find the cage door open, with Oliver and Maseo gone.

"What the hell!" Diggle exclaimed. "I checked them both myself. I thought I removed all tools and lock picks."

Nyssa shrugged her shoulders. "I am sorry. I should have frisked them instead. Since they were wearing League uniforms, I would know the secret compartments. They must have had a lock pick hidden in one of them."

"And I didn't turn on the extra security since we were just over in the next room." Shaking her head, Felicity said softly, "I just didn't think that far ahead. Some part of me couldn't think of Oliver as an enemy, I guess."

"Don't condemn yourself, Felicity. None of us thought extra security was necessary." Diggle walked over to the computers, only to find his suspicion confirmed. "And Oliver has retained enough of his old memories to be able to override the security inside. He turned off the alarms so they could walk out the back door without triggering even the backup silent alarm."

Felicity asked, "What should we do? We don't know what, if anything, they heard before they left. Can we, should we, stick with our plans?"

Nyssa considered the faces in front of her. Reviewing the possible choices in front of them, she made a decision. "Let's proceed as planned, but with caution. Being who he thinks he is, I believe Oliver would have presumed he didn't need to listen to us in order to beat us. He would've wanted to return to my father as soon as possible."

The team proceeded to gather what they needed for the skirmish ahead.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Pain bombarded his head, and he heard a voice he hadn't wanted to ever hear again, talking quietly presumably to someone else. Malcolm attempted to raise a hand to his aching head, but something prevented it from happening.

He heard soft moaning next to him, and he felt the presence of someone next to him. For a moment he couldn't think who would be beside him.

"Dad?" he heard a soft voice ask. Memories came crashing upon him, and Malcolm's eyes opened up in shock. It was Thea, lying next to him, her head slouched down, chin resting on her chest, consciousness slowly returning to her as well. Her arms tied behind her back, a small trickle of blood running down the left side of her face.

He turned his head and realized someone standing in front of him. Sighing he looked up, meeting the eyes of one Ra's al Ghul with a small grin on his face.

"Glad you are now awake, Al Sa-her. Just in time for our prisoner exchange."

Malcolm's lips pursed into a thin line. He supposed he should be grateful Ra's was indeed going to hand him back over to the vigilantes. Catching the smirk on Ra's' face, however, Malcolm suddenly doubted if that was what would truly happen.

"You're really not going to turn me over to them, are you?"

Watching a larger smile slowly cross Ra's' face, Malcolm wasn't reassured. "I guess you are smarter than you look, Al Sa-her. Why, when I have been chasing you for over a year, would I turn you over just like that?"

"What about my daughter? You don't have a fight with her."

"Oh, don't I?"

Malcolm became scared for the first time since this began. "Please, Master, she has nothing to do with this. Do…do anything to me, but please, please leave Thea alone."

"Selflessness, Al Sa-hir? From you? Will wonders never cease?" Ra's turned and took several steps to the side then turned around again to face Malcolm. "Lucky for her I still need a bargaining chip to get ahold of my rebellious daughter."

Malcolm decided to allow the relief he felt with that statement show on his face. Swallowing his disgust he forced himself to answer. "Thank you, Master."

Thea had regained her senses by this time and realized what was being said. She looked between the two men, eyes wide. "Dad, what are you saying? I'm not leaving without you."

"Thea, you have no choice. We don't have a choice."

"Listen to your father, Ms. Queen. Now, we should get going."

Ra's turned, then realized there was some commotion entering the building. He smiled as he recognized Wareeth and Sarab approaching him. "Wareeth, Sarab, you have not let me down. You escaped your captors?"

"Yes, Master, I do apologize for causing the situation where this trade needs to happen in the first place, as well as the length of time it took us to escape."

"How many dead?"

Wareeth suddenly looked uncomfortable, but quickly drew a blank face. "I thought it expedient to get to you as soon as possible, so we did not engage them in battle. It was not necessary; they had withdrawn to an inner room to discuss their battle strategy. We simply picked the door of the cell and left."

Sarab looked at Ra's and waited with a sense of fear as to his Master's reaction. He hadn't been too convinced about this plan of action either, but once again his role was to obey Wareeth without question.

Considering what was said, Ra's nodded. "That was appropriate, Wareeth. Now, however, we are due to get ahold of my traitorous daughter. Sarab, you are to remain here with two other guards, watching Al Sa-hir. The rest will accompany us, Wareeth, as we trade Ms. Queen for my daughter."

**AN: Well, I suppose I should refine this more, but…I really want to share this. I especially want to share the next chapter, which will have the Battle Royale in it. Which is almost totally written. So….perhaps that will be able to be posted relatively soon as well. Sure hope you enjoyed this. And if you like, send off a review. Always appreciated!**


	7. Chapter 7: Battle Royale

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I don't; I just wish I did. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you for continuing with this story! Here is the next chapter. Be gentle…I'm still rather new at writing this adventure/fighting stuff. Sigh. Oh well…nothing like leaping right out of your comfort zone, right? I do appreciate your reading with an open mind and allowance for mistakes. **

Previously:

_Considering what was said, Ra's nodded. "That was appropriate, Wareeth. Now, however, we are due to get ahold of my traitorous daughter. Sarab, you are to remain here with two other guards, watching Al Sa-hir. The rest will accompany us, Wareeth, as we trade Ms. Queen for my daughter."_

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Diggle drove the van to a spot a block away from the warehouse designated as the meeting place. Ray activated his suit, launching himself into the air to make a cursory look around the building. He reported back the locations of seven assassins situated around the roof. He then landed at the nearest assassin, and was about to engage him in battle when the man turned around, bow in hand. The soldier let the arrow fly, and Ray was knocked out as the arrow hit him square in the chest as it sent an electrical charge short-circuiting the suit's functions.

Lyla, her gun ready, had reached the other side of the roof ready to assist Ray. She engaged the first assassin she approached, then her attention was drawn across the roof in time to see Ray being knocked unconscious. Momentarily distracted, she failed to sense an approaching assassin, who was able to get her in a choke hold. Before she could escape, she was rendered unconscious.

In the meantime, Barry had sped into the warehouse via its back door. He was able to sneak up on three separate assassins spaced out around the outer rooms of the warehouse and bound their limbs with zip ties. However, as he was taking care of his fourth assassin, his body suddenly was overtaken by several shocks. He fell over, unconscious, not seeing the reworked Taser in the assassin's hand.

Laurel had entered the warehouse via a side door. She was pleased to observe several assassins tied up and continued on her way. Making her way slowly through the outer hallway of the warehouse, Laurel's senses were on high alert. She was able to approach an assassin who was looking the other way and knock him out with a karate chop. She continued on her way, not hearing anything yet, but knowing she wasn't near the main room where Ra's and most of his entourage would be. However, she turned a corner, and almost ran into three very tall, very imposing, assassins. Fighting her first instinct to turn around and run, she was about to use her Canary cry when she was suddenly enveloped in a pair of strong arms, one which was around her throat before she knew it. Losing consciousness, Laurel swallowed a bitter disappointment at letting the team down.

While the battle on the rooftop proceeded, Felicity reported to the rest of the team that she had located ten heat signatures within the building. "One on each side of the main door, four in the back room."

Nyssa, Diggle, and Roy got out of the van, and proceeded to the warehouse. Nyssa took a deep breath before entering the warehouse, centering herself in preparation for seeing her father again.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Felicity was busy monitoring the heat signatures, but was unaware of one sneaking up on the van. Suddenly, the back door of the van opened up, eliciting a squeak from Felicity.

"Oliver!"

Indeed, Wareeth al Ghul, previously Oliver Queen, stood in front of her, in all of his League glory. Despite herself, Felicity found herself trying to swallow the lump in her throat, brought on by the unfamiliar look of anger she saw in his eyes.

With his catlike movement, Wareeth quickly grabbed her by the arm and had her outside the van before she knew it. As she struggled to maintain her footing, she caught sight of Lance being restrained by two other League assassins. They were hustled inside the building, where Felicity was disheartened, but not surprised, to see Diggle and Roy restrained by their own guards, and Nyssa kneeling in front of her father. Felicity frantically looked for Thea, and was relieved to see her at the side of the room, arms bound behind her back, flanked by two other guards. Felicity wondered about Malcolm and where he was.

Turning towards a ruckus, she observed a group entering the room. Catching blue and red, she realized Ray, appearing unconscious, was being dragged into the room by two soldiers. The sight that scared her, however, was of Barry, flung over a guard's shoulders, being carried into the room. She wondered how they had incapacitated the speedster, for as far as she knew, nothing existed that could knock Barry out.

The group walked over to the side, near Thea, where Ray was dumped unceremoniously onto the ground. The man carrying Barry was more careful in lowering him to the ground. A third guard approached and laid an unconscious Lyla on the ground, followed by a fourth guard, carrying an unconscious Laurel.

Recognizing their rescue attempt as a colossal failure, Felicity barely took in the fact her arms were being restrained behind her. She however became aware of being handled more roughly than she ever expected from the man behind her when he fastened the zip ties with an especially rough flourish. Without thinking about it, she said, "Hey, I pictured you doing this, under different circumstances. Completely unplatonic, I mean platonic, circumstances. I did say platonic, right?"

Felicity found herself being pulled into Oliver, eh Wareeth, feeling her body curve reflexively into his hard-muscled body, when she was suddenly pushed away. Almost as if Wareeth had almost tripped into her, then used her a means of keeping his balance. She wasn't able to see Wareeth shake his head, with a glazed expression on his face, blinking several times.

She was brought over next to Diggle and Roy, and then forced to her knees. Looking to her right, Felicity observed her two teammates also being made to kneel. Detective Lance was then brought to his knees on Felicity's left. Catching Diggle's eye, she attempted to smile. Diggle gave her a wink. Suddenly she sensed someone in front of her, to only look up at Ra's, in front of their small group.

"I just wanted to let you people know we shall be leaving your city today. I declare the blood debt satisfied. I will not harm any of you, in deference with my new heir's past with you. However, I must warn you, if any of you interfere with us again, blood will flow. Regardless of any past feelings Wareeth may have had, for any of you."

Diggle looked at Felicity sideways, then asked, "If I may ask, sir, where is Malcolm Merlyn?" Felicity was surprised by the meekness in which he asked the question. "Will he be allowed to leave with us?"

"Unfortunately, I will not be handing Mr. Merlyn over to you. I have decided he must face my justice and thus will accompany us back to Nanda Parbat." Turning and taking several steps back, Ra's then turned back towards them. "Now that I have my new Heir, my daughter, and Al Sa-hir we will be leaving." Instilling a dark glance upon each one of the Arrow team, he then stated, "Without interference. Of any type. Am I understood?"

Roy looked sideways at Diggle, who nodded gravely. Felicity looked at Ra's and shuddered when Ra's caught her eye. "Ms. Smoak, do you have any questions?"

Felicity exchanged glances with Diggle, and stammered, "Um, no, Mr. Al Ghul, sir, I…I don't." _I actually do, but nothing that would be helpful to mention out loud. _Felicity startled when Ra's gave a short laugh. "Don't tell me I said that out loud."

"Yes, you did, Ms. Smoak. Don't worry, my daughter has told me before about your….interesting personality quirk. It is quite…endearing."

Felicity couldn't control the grimace crossing her face. She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with being found 'endearing' by a scary criminal.

"As entertaining as this has been, we must now take our leave." Ra's looked directly into the quartet's eyes. "Again, our business is completed. Unless someone decides to aggravate me again. I hope, for everyone's sake, especially your precious city's, no one does." Turning towards Nyssa, he nodded to the soldiers on either side of her, who brought her to her feet and began to lead her towards the door.

Ra's then looked over Felicity's head, where Oliver was standing, and nodded again. Felicity felt Oliver turn and walk away, following the others. Felicity bit her lower lip to suppress a cry at the loss of his absence. She closed her eyes as she attempted to stop the tears she felt would soon fall. To discover him alive only to lose him forever to a madman was the ultimate in unfair.

The rest of the soldiers fell into step behind Oliver, with Ra's taking the end. Silence fell as the soldiers' steps faded and the heavy doors of the warehouse shut behind them.

"Anyone able to break free yet?" Diggle asked.

"Not all of us have your type of muscles, Digg," Roy said. "Thea, how are you? They didn't hurt you too badly, did they?"

"You mean, besides being sore after trying to fight off ten ninjas, being hit on the head, and knowing my father and brother are now in the hands of the most dangerous assassin ever? Not so much."

Groans then were heard from the corners where the rest of their colleagues were lying. Felicity felt some relief they were finally waking up, but worried how injured they were.

"What happened?" Ray asked, as Felicity watched him struggle to sit up. She breathed easier noting he didn't have any noticeable injuries.

"You tell us. How were you overpowered?" Diggle asked.

"I…I'm not sure. When I flew up to check on Barry, I landed on the roof, then I…oh, I wonder if one of the assassins had one of Oliver's electric arrows. They must have shorted out the ATOM's electrical system."

"What I would like to know is how they knocked Barry out," Roy said.

"The League must have discovered I can be overcome by a certain pattern of ultrasonic waves. We'd only discovered that for ourselves a few weeks ago," a weakened Barry managed to say as he struggled into a sitting position.

"How are you, Barry?" Felicity asked. "I was very worried about you."

Barry shook his head. "Just give me some time. I will be as good as new."

"Not to be a broken record, but when you or Ray are able to, can you untie us? I don't know about the rest of you, but I really want to get out of here. This place gives me the creeps," Diggle said. "And how is Lyla and Laurel? Are they waking up yet?"

"Don't worry, Barry, I got this," Ray struggled onto his feet, and slowly made his way over to Diggle and the rest of the group. Barry moved to Lyla's side and assisted her into a sitting position because he had heard her softly moaning.

"I'm okay, Johnny. Just groggy."

Barry turned to Laurel, and observed she was slowly waking up. She smiled at him, and said, "Tell Diggle I'm okay too."

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Wareeth had done what his master had wanted. He had gone to collect the petite blond from the back of the van, while one of their servants gathered the man with her. Anger coursed through him when the woman didn't appear to be as afraid of him as he wanted. He didn't stop to examine why he was experiencing anger, or why he wanted her to be afraid of him in the first place.

Then it happened. As he was binding the irritating woman's arms, she said the most ridiculous sentence. And for some reason, memories shot through his mind, of them being together, smiling, working together, Memories of being a different man, of being Oliver Queen not Wareeth al Ghul, crashed through his mind. He almost was knocked over by the suddenness of the realization and would have lost his balance if he hadn't grabbed the young woman in front of him and used her as a means of balancing himself.

His mind, slowed by the drugs and the shock, did catch the fact he needed to continue the act of Wareeth until he could reconcile everything together. He pushed Felicity away and hoped no one noticed the strange reaction. Looking at Ra's, Oliver was relieved he apparently hadn't noticed anything different. He took a miniscule step away from the woman…from Felicity…to clear his mind and focus only on Ra's. Images of what he assumed was his past life continued to pass through his mind at an alarming rate, but he again tamped those memories down.

He breathed a sigh of relief when Ra's announced their exit. It would be easier to maintain his cover away from his loved ones, especially Felicity. He also needed time to assimilate all of his returning memories into his psyche. Oliver hoped he wouldn't be discovered, but he steeled himself into the task ahead, for the sake of his loved ones, his city, as well as Nyssa. And even Malcolm.

**AN: Thank you so much for continuing to follow this story. See you next time to see how Oliver gets out of Nanda Parbat, now that the brainwashing has worn off. **


	8. Chapter 8: Battle Aftermath

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I don't; I just wish I did. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN:****Thank you for returning to my story. Let's see how far Oliver has gotten in getting back his memory and identity. Thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows! It's great to be appreciated. Oh, and I do apologize that this took so long. Sigh. That muse sometimes Please enjoy this next installment. **

Previously:

_Oliver breathed a sigh of relief when Ra's announced their exit. It would be easier to maintain his cover away from his loved ones, especially Felicity. He also needed time to assimilate all of his returning memories into his psyche. Oliver hoped he wouldn't be discovered, but he steeled himself into the task ahead, for the sake of his loved ones, his city, as well as Nyssa. And even Malcolm._

~~OQ~~

Oliver spent an uncomfortable time on the ride back to Nanda Parbat. Luckily, Ra's sat in his own private section of the plane, with Maseo keeping him company. However, Oliver sat across from Malcolm and Nyssa and attempted to hide his inner turmoil. He couldn't afford to have anyone, much less the two people in front of him, deduce his brainwashing was becoming undone. At least not until he had time to get his scrambled brain back to normal and figure out who he could trust.

Once the seat belt light turned off, Oliver stood up and walked to the back of the compartment. He pretended to be interested in the collection of reading materials collected on the shelf. However, he allowed his mind to wander, in an attempt to somehow make sense of the various memories flooding his mind.

Part of him knew for certain he was indeed this Oliver Queen, born and raised in Starling City. The other part of him was fighting that belief, insisting upon the false memories placed there with the brainwashing. That part of him, however, was gradually fading away, with increasing understanding and remembering of knowing who he really is. not

Turning away from the bookcase, he observed the two captives had decided to fall asleep. _Good. I can now relax in the seat and continue to process all of this._

Oliver settled into the seat, a small sigh escaping despite himself. A sudden weariness came over him despite the desire to sort everything out. Shrugging he decided to give into sleep as well, and think about all this later.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

It was a somber group which returned to the Arrow lair to regroup. As they gathered around the conference table once again, Felicity looked around the group. She gathered every ounce of resolve within her to ask calmly, "So…what is our next step?"

"Before we do that, Felicity, I just want to make sure everyone is truly okay," Diggle said, giving each member a stern overall look.

"Johnny, yes, we are all okay. We would've said something before now," Lyla said.

Diggle looked down at his wife. "I often cannot take what any of you say at face value. Especially you, my dear wife, most of all."

Lyla shook her head, "Johnny, you worry too much," giving her husband a special smile.

Felicity thought, _Well, actually, he does have a point._ When everyone turned and smiled at her, she moaned. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Of course, Blondie," Roy said. "It's why we love you." Looking at his teammates who had been knocked out, Roy said, "For once I agree with Digg. Are you guys really okay? It was scary seeing all of you knocked out."

Ray smiled his characteristic goofy grin as he couldn't help himself to say, "I myself am no worse to wear. I must be getting used to the injurious side of crime fighting."

His teammates collectively rolled their eyes and groaned.

"I'm okay, a little sore. It isn't every day a girl faces ninja warriors with her villainous father," Thea said with a crooked grin.

Felicity turned to Barry, who had taken the seat next to her. "Are you okay? Any residual effects from being knocked out with God knows what?"

Giving Felicity one of his bright smiles, Barry said, "Nothing three pizzas and an hour nap wouldn't cure." Rolling his eyes at the skeptical look Felicity gave him he said, "Seriously, Felicity I'm ok. And I don't mean Oliver's level of okay either. I'm really okay." At gasps coming from around the table, Barry looked at the group and suddenly realized what he just said. "OMG, Felicity, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."

Glaring at her teammates, Felicity gave a huff. "Come on, guys. It's okay to mention Oliver's name." Falsely glaring at her teammates, she said, "We need a little humor every chance we can get. So…now that we've had our health roll call, what should be our next move?"

Silence followed. Felicity looked around the table again. "What? Guys…no ideas?" She looked at Diggle. "Not even you?"

Diggle shrugged. "Felicity, I know you're upset. We all are. But…"

"But nothing. We got to get him back."

"We will, Felicity," Diggle said in a raised voice. Looked shocked, he said in a quieter tone, "We will. We just need time to develop a plan."

"I don't think we have time, Digg. We don't know if the longer Ra's has him, the longer it will take for us to deprogram Oliver."

"Felicity, we don't know that."

"We also don't know if it's not true."

Thea shuffled in her seat. She took a deep breath and looked around the table. "And I suppose any rescue plan will have to address whether or not it includes Malcolm."

"And Nyssa," Laurel added.

Lyla caught Felicity's eye. "I think we can all benefit from a shower, supper, and a good night's rest. I've found that's when the best ideas come." As she observed tears gathering in Felicity's eyes, Lyla added, "You know it's true, Felicity."

"Also," Diggle interrupted, "it will give my beautiful wife a chance to confer with ARGUS."

A look of relief quickly crossed Felicity's face. "Yes! Between them, your and Diggle's military training, and..." She looked at Barry with hope and pleading, "Barry's superspeed we can come up with a plan."

"I don't know, Felicity, you know there's stuff going on in Central City..."

Felicity turned on her best hocking face on her friend. Barry rolled his eyes, threw up his hands, and said, "Let me see what I can do. I'll go home now, and let me know tomorrow what you guys have come up with. "

Felicity flashed him a million-dollar smile. "Thanks," she barely got out before he sped away.

Trying to catch some ruffling papers in front of her, Felicity sighed. "Wish he'd give us warning before he does that."

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Upon landing in Nanda Parbat, Oliver watched as Nyssa and Malcolm were led to the dungeons in the basement of the castle. He knew they would be placed in separate cells, until the next day. He didn't know what was going to happen, however. Ra's hadn't informed him of his plans for his daughter and his former second-in-command.

Ra's smiled at his new second-in-command. "Wareeth, I am very pleased with your actions during this mission. We have been very successful indeed. You showed your loyalty and your acceptance of your new life. As it is late, retire now. We shall discuss our future plans in the morning, including those concerning our newest prisoners."

Oliver bowed slightly, acquiescing to his Master's commands. He left Ra's' presence and returned to the room where he had been spending his nights. He changed into his night clothes and crawled into bed. Staring at the ceiling, Oliver continued to try to process all that had occurred. All the memories flooding his mind, fighting for control over the memories of the teachings of the League. He also struggled with the headache threatening to give way.

It had been the strangest sensation, the moment his memories began to return to him. It was almost like waking from a dream. And the fact he could only remember having such connections to these individuals, but not actually feeling those attractions to these people, was rather unnerving.

What a conflict he had in front of him. Not only having to process all of the above, he also had to form a plan for escape. Oliver knew he needed to rest, but his mind was swirling with all that was facing him. Resigning to the inevitable, he decided to try to think things through.

What were his choices? Going with the memories of Oliver Queen, and holding those of Wareeth at bay, he reviewed the alternatives. He could either try to rescue Malcolm and Nyssa, and pray they could all escape, or he could leave on his own, leaving those two here to face Ra's' judgement.

Why shouldn't he leave? Nothing was holding him here. What did he owe Malcolm, after all? Even though he was Thea's biological father, Malcolm had betrayed him more than enough not to deserve Oliver's loyalty. At least that was what Oliver's memories were telling him.

And Nyssa? She had also alternated being an ally and a foe. It almost made his head spin, the amount of times Nyssa had switched sides, depending upon the situation. His analytical side, especially with Wareeth's thoughts within his head, understood her reasoning. However, it didn't lend easily to feeling like he should risk himself rescuing her.

If he could escape, should he? He didn't consider himself a hero, by any stretch of the imagination, but he felt honor-bound to help those two individuals. At least, Oliver Queen did. If only for the sake of their loved ones, his sister and his ex-girlfriends, who he did care about, should he help them?

Turning his thoughts toward the possibility of developing a rescue plan, Oliver considered possible allies. What about Maseo? Where would he stand? Could he be persuaded to assist Oliver and his allies? And more importantly, Oliver hadn't given himself away to him, did he? Oliver prayed Maseo hadn't realized the brainwashing wasn't present any longer.

Oliver brought a hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache coming on. It wasn't as if he'd never face life threatening situations before, or even by himself. It was the amount of evil he had to face, alone. Without any allies. And of course having a mind as full of holes as Swiss cheese wasn't helping.

Another memory from his old life burst through, adding to the concerns. Ra's was indeed a criminal who needed to be brought down. For the sake of the world itself. For that's what Ra's was doing, threatening the very world. What if, due to the situation he now found himself in, Oliver was singularly qualified to be the one to stop Ra's? Didn't he owe the world to do so? The memories of being a vigilante came crashing through, reminding him of his former goals of maintaining justice. Of wanting to save his city. Which was now facing a much more dangerous problem than his father could've ever imagined.

But a voice within himself asked what made him think he was capable of bringing such a larger than life character to justice? Especially by himself? Why shouldn't he just leave at the first opportunity? How could he presume he could stop a master criminal like Ra's? All by himself? Why shouldn't he be selfish for once and save his own skin?

Suddenly reality burst through his rattled brain, making him doubt if escape would even be possible. No, it wouldn't be possible. Even if he had no doubt about Oliver's loyalty, Ra's wouldn't allow Oliver to not be under watch at all times. Thus it was doubtful whether Oliver would be able to escape, if indeed he decided to do so.

A huge sigh escaped Oliver's lips. He was suddenly very tired indeed. The threatening headache was now a reality. Shaking his head, War...Oliver turned over. Purposefully slowing his breathing he began a meditation he now faintly remembered.

**AN: Thanks for reading! Hope it entertained. And, if you would only take pity on this poor (figuratively and literally) writer, leave me a review of your thoughts of this chapter. Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9: Planning an Escape

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; WB/DC does. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN:****Thank you for returning once again to my story. I do apologize for the delay in getting this next chapter out. Part of the problem is having so many other stories going at the same time. So glad that, despite how devastating this year's mid-season finale was, it didn't spur me to start seven new stories. Of course, having so many unfinished ones did help curb that pesky Muse from beginning any more, for the moment. Anyway enough of whining. Here's another chapter. Enjoy!**

Previously:

_Suddenly reality burst through his rattled brain, making him doubt if escape would even be possible. No, it wouldn't be possible. Even if he had no doubt about Oliver's loyalty, Ra's wouldn't allow Oliver to not be under watch at all times. Thus it was doubtful whether Oliver would be able to escape, if indeed he decided to do so._

_A huge sigh escaped Oliver's lips. He was suddenly very tired indeed. The threatening headache was now a reality. Shaking his head, War...Oliver turned over. Purposefully slowing his breathing he began a meditation he now faintly remembered. _

~~OQ~~

His day began as the other days in Nanda Parbat had begun in his recent Wareeth memory. After breakfast, Oliver went to the gym, where he sparred with various soldiers. He allowed muscle memory to take over, and he was neither Wareeth nor Oliver, just a soldier fighting. The exercise felt good in letting out the stress threatening to take over his mind. Having a respite in thinking about an escape plan rejuvenated him.

After stopping for their midday break, where he joined the rest of the men exercising with him in the nearby lunchroom, Oliver took advantage of looking at the group assembled with new eyes. He quickly gathered various bits of information which might prove useful in the future. He quickly cataloged possible weapons at hand, likely escape routes, particular soldiers of which he needed to be particularly cautious. Luckily "Wareeth" apparently wasn't known to be much of a conversationalist, so he was able to sit quietly and listen to the sparse conversation occurring around him. Gathering possible useful information about upcoming LOA missions, and other topics occupied his time while he finished his meal, ensuring he wasn't obvious with his detecting.

The problem occurring with the reintegration of his memories as Oliver Queen was his knowledge of the daily routines of Nanda Parbat was slowly but surely disappearing. Unless he purposely made sure he still remembered them, he felt like he'd lose touch with them completely. Luckily, because of his past, Oliver had the muscle memory of skills needed to pull this charade off. At least that was what he kept reminding himself.

After lunch, the exercises resumed. Ra's, for some reason, didn't appear as he usually did. Oliver didn't know whether he should be concerned about his absence.

Another area of concern occurred when Maseo approached Oliver to ask how he was with his return to his former hometown. Oliver was fairly certain he had acted like Wareeth consistently throughout the exchange. Certainly Maseo didn't give any indication of any suspicion.

The exercises were stopped at 5pm, per usual, and Oliver made his way back to his room. He was allowed an hour to himself and then be expected in the dining room at 6pm for supper. He had just sat down on the sofa when there was a no routine knock on his door. A small twinge of fear went through him, which he quickly tamped down, and went to the door. Opening it, he found Maseo...err, Sarab.

"I think you are due for some outdoor exercise. Would you like to go for a walk outside with me, Wareeth?"

Nodding silently, Oliver walked over to his closet to get his tennis shoes. After putting them on, he followed Sarab down the hallway and out a side door of which he hadn't been aware.

They walked along the path in silence for five minutes. Oliver tried to keep his nerves under control but it was becoming more difficult as the time passed.

When the path took a turn into some woods, numerous trees hiding them from the fortress, Oliver sensed a difference in Sarab's bearing. Sarab then stopped and faced Oliver.

"What's going on...Oliver?"

_Oh shit, I was wrong. Sarab did notice. Does Ra's suspect as well? Did Sarab tell him?_

Oliver was pleased he hadn't reacted at Sarab's statement. Keeping his expression blank, Oliver asked, "I don't understand the question. I also wonder why you called me Oliver. My name is Wareeth."

"Don't worry. Ra's doesn't suspect anything."

Deciding to continue to play his role, not trusting Sarab, Oliver said, "I still don't understand your questions, Sarab. What would Master suspect?"

Sarab sighed. "What will it take to convince you I'm not a threat? I know you've broken the brainwashing somehow and want to help you get out of here. I want to go with you."

Oliver continued to keep his face expressionless, even though it was a struggle. To have Maseo truly help him? It increased his chances of success 200 percent. At least.

Closing his eyes, Oliver said a quick prayer he was doing the right thing, and opened them to find Maseo studying him.

"I really hope I can indeed trust you...Maseo."

Maseo smiled and said, "You can. We don't have much time, for we shouldn't stay out here too long."

"And I have to be at supper at 6."

Maseo nodded. "So...have any ideas I can help you with?"

Letting out a cleansing breath, Oliver said, "Well, nothing definite yet. It's somewhat difficult to plan with so many unknown factors, such as whether I can trust Nyssa and Malcolm."

"What?" Maseo asked. "You're not seriously thinking of helping them escape as well?"

"They've both have helped me in the past..."

"You cannot bring them with you. It's much too risky." Maseo looked at Oliver sadly. "It's quite a long shot getting us out of here. I have no idea how we'd be able to rescue them from the basement dungeons."

Oliver was disheartened to hear this, but decided to reexamine the subject at a later time. "Do you have any possible ideas?"

"I think our best chance is through the catacombs. They are hardly used any more, and mostly forgotten." Maseo paused for a moment. "I think we should plan for tomorrow night. Ra's is leaving the next morning and will be preoccupied with getting details ready."

Oliver suddenly had a chill. Tamping down his worries, he said, "Why isn't one or both of us accompanying him, and should this be a cause of alarm?"

Maseo smiled, and Oliver realized it had been a while since he had seen his friend smile so freely. "Oh, sorry Oliver to make you worry unnecessarily. Ra's leaves at this time of year for a week-long pilgrimage. As long as I've been here he has gone to a place unknown."

Oliver considered the information. "All right. I guess the sooner the better. Are you sure security wouldn't be tighter because of Ra's' leaving?"

"That's why it needs to be tomorrow. Otherwise we'd have to wait until Ra's returned, and preoccupied with something else." Maseo looked at his watch. "We better go back. It's time for supper. Tonight I will be eating with Ra's in his private dining room. But I will keep in touch."

Oliver nodded, and with one accord the two men turned and walked back to the Fortress. In the silence Oliver was lost in his thoughts of how to continue the masquerade. With the shock of Maseo coming forward, the remaining pieces of the memory of Oliver Queen fell into place. He was thankful, but anxious regarding the continuation of fooling one of the smartest men in the world.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Supper passed without incident. Oliver again tried to take in as much information as he could, but nothing of much interest occurred. He wondered how Maseo's supper with Ra's was going. Oliver wasn't worried, for Maseo had indeed been around Ra's for years. He was confident Maseo was able to handle himself around the leader without difficulty.

After supper he made his way to the gymnasium after changing into his sweat suit. Sometimes Ra's called for extra work-outs after the supper hour, but tonight he hadn't. Oliver still had excess energy to wear off, due to the agitation he was feeling. There was still a smidgen of doubt about Maseo floating around in his brain. Oliver didn't have any proof of any subterfuge, but there was little to support Maseo's changing sides either. For a moment, Oliver regretted telling him the truth, but he really had no choice. Maseo had seemed insistent in his knowledge that Oliver was no longer brainwashed.

He began slowly to lap the track. As he increased his speed, Oliver's mind slowed down as he lost himself in the mechanics of exercise. Allowing a sense of peace to flow over him, he felt more confident about his choice and knowing what his next moves would be. He then lost himself as he took off at full speed, slowly working his body into a healthy sweat.

After running three miles, he slowed down, allowing his body to relax again as he made several more laps. He then ended his exercise by walking two more laps, then went to the sidelines for a drink of water.

In the middle of lifting the water bottle up and taking several small sips, Oliver heard a slight noise. His inner alarm ringing, Oliver slowly lowered the bottle and turned around. Four soldiers were standing there, watching him, with Maseo in front of a fifth soldier, chains on his wrists.

Reminding himself to be Wareeth and watch what he'd say, Oliver asked, "What is going on here?"

The soldier closest to him approached and placed manacles around his own wrists. "Master requests your presence. Now."

All Oliver wanted to do was look at Maseo and silently ask him what was going on. However he controlled the impulse, let out a breath silently and followed two of the soldiers out the door. With Maseo next to him, Oliver continued not to look at him, knowing the three soldiers behind him were observing every move they would make.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

They were brought in front of Ra's. Oliver continued to not exchange glances with Maseo. It wouldn't be a behavior Wareeth would do. Standing tall, eyes looking in front of them, the two men waited for the man in front of them, sitting on an elaborately golden throne, to speak.

Oliver couldn't help but wonder what had made Ra's suspicious. He no longer being fooled was the only explanation for how they had been summoned. In chains.

Ra's walked right up to Oliver and stood in what would be considered his personal space. Oliver didn't break his gaze, didn't flinch, as he waited to see what Ra's was about to do. Without warning, Ra's' open hand met Oliver's cheek with a loud clap. Only barely was Oliver able to not pull back at the last second, or to react to the unexpected slap. Remaining silent, Oliver continued to look ahead.

Ra's made him wait a full minute before he slapped Oliver again. And again Oliver didn't react, didn't ask the question on the tip of his tongue, even though his heart was beating wildly. He remained still as he sensed Ra's walking away from him. Back ramrod straight, Oliver continued to look straight ahead. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ra's approach his throne and sit down.

"I know."

Oliver sensed Maseo startle beside him. He himself wasn't going give up, yet.

"I slipped a disposable bug into your pocket...Oliver. I heard your conversation outside. Every word."

Oliver wracked his brain to think whether disposable bugs were indeed a "thing". Unfortunately he had heard of such an object. A small microphone that would disintegrate, leaving no trace behind. Something he thought only ARGUS would have.

"So you can drop the pretense, Oliver."

Oliver continued to stand at attention, not willing to admit defeat. In the slimmest of chances Ra's was bluffing. Oliver held out hope. Until Ra's' next words.

"You will not have the opportunity to escape through the catacombs."

Oliver closed his eyes and softly let out a slow breath. He does know. Swallowing his disappointment, Oliver opened his eyes to a pair of black eyes in his face.

"You thought you could beat me, boy? Me, a war lord for over 400 years. How foolish you truly are." Ra's punctuated his next words with four quick jabs to Oliver's abdomen. "And. I. Will. Make. You. Suffer."

Before Oliver could collapse, two League guards were at his side, catching him under his arms and holding him up. Ra's delivered four more punches to his now-tender stomach, then turned to Maseo.

"And you, Sarab? What should I do with you? If only I could blame your betrayal on Oliver. However, you did approach him first with your offer. You had the escape plan."

Maseo looked directly ahead, not meeting his Master's eyes. "It was all a trick, Master. I suspected Wareeth the moment we had returned from Starling City. I wanted to be certain before I informed you, liege. I never intended to leave. You know I am loyal to you until death."

**AN: What the hay, right? Did Maseo actually betray Oliver? Will Ra's believe Maseo, whether or not it's the truth? Hopefully I wouldn't make you wait so long for these answers. I do appreciate you reading, and more so, reviewing. Please tune in next time and see what Oliver will do next. **


	10. Chapter 10: Consequences

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; WB/DC does. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thanks for all the favs, reviews and follows. Here is the next exciting chapter, since I was mean and left the last one on a cliff. **

Previously:

_"And you, Sarab? What should I do with you? If only I could blame your betrayal on Oliver. However, you did approach him first with your offer. You had the escape plan."_

_Maseo looked directly ahead, not meeting his Master's eyes. "It was all a trick, Master. I suspected Wareeth the moment we had returned from Starling City. I wanted to be certain before I informed you, liege. I never intended to leave. You know I am loyal to you until death."_

"How can I know you're telling me the truth, Sarab?"

"Because I'll tell you how Wareeth broke the brainwashing. If I were on Oliver's side, there would be no way I'd share this with you."

Oliver took a sharp breath and turned to look at Sarab in alarm. If Ra's knew a loved one had brought back his memories...

Nodding, Ra's gave Sarab permission to continue.

"It was indeed the visit to his hometown. And being with the woman he loves." Sarab sneaked a look at Oliver. "I noticed his acting differently after we captured his team in Starling City." He said without losing eye contact with Ra's, "The blonde, when she was saying those ridiculous things, I noticed Wareeth reacting to them."

_Oh shit._ Oliver watched as the gears in Ra's' mind progressed to the conclusion Oliver was afraid he would. "So. I have been correct to get rid of any remaining attachments for all my soldiers." Ra's fixed a glare onto Oliver freezing him to his spot. "That will be the next item on my to-do list. Get rid of your darling city and everyone in it. So you will no longer have anything pulling you back to your old life." Oliver struggled to hide his reaction but was afraid the shivers down his back were seen. "First, we have to redo your initiation." Searching out his soldiers, Ra's commanded two of them, "Bring him to the whipping yard."

With nothing to lose, Oliver snapped the cuffs apart, launched himself into the small group of soldiers behind him and proceeded to kick and punch his way towards the door. He was able to punch two soldiers unconscious, but three chased him as he ran to the door of the room. One of them managed to grab him, force him to turn around, and deliver several jabs to head and chest and several well-placed kicks to his abdomen. Oliver recovered in time to knock out his assailant and another soldier with kicks and jabs to their upper bodies. Before he could run for the door, however, the third soldier tackled him, bringing Oliver to the ground with a bone-shaking landing with Oliver's head hitting the wooden floor with a loud bang. They struggled for the upper hand, Oliver fighting for his city's survival despite the dizziness, but this particular soldier was especially skilled at delivering enough punches to keep Oliver from going on the offensive. He barely was able to block half his assailant's punches, remaining on the ground, unable to rise. Until three more soldiers arrived, grabbed Oliver and brought him to a standing position. Oliver struggled to get free once again but found himself being dragged back towards Ra's, who had hurried to the group.

"No matter how long it takes, that spirit of yours will be broken, boy." Sighing, he turned as he said, "Take him to the punishment room and prepare him. I will be there shortly."

"What about Sarab, liege?" One of the soldiers asked.

"Let him go. Clearly he's telling the truth."

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Previously:

_A look of relief quickly crossed Felicity's face. "Yes! Between them, your and Diggle's military training, and..." She looked at Barry with hope and pleading, "Barry's superspeed we can come up with a plan."_

_"I don't know, Felicity, you know there's stuff going on in Central City..."_

_Felicity turned on her best hocking face on her friend. Barry rolled his eyes, threw up his hands, and said, "Let me see what I can do. I'll go home now, and let me know tomorrow what you guys have come up with."_

_Felicity flashed him a million-dollar smile. "Thanks," she barely got out before he sped away._

Felicity entered her apartment after the Diggles dropped her off. She threw her purse on the table as she passed by and went to her living room. She collapsed onto the couch with a heavy sigh. Even though she knew the team was doing what they could, Felicity still couldn't help feeling a sense of frustration. Patience has never been one of her strengths, and in this case, it was nearly impossible.

Sighing, she turned on her laptop. Beginning with the searches she'd left running, she reviewed the results. Nothing useful. She again ran through possible scenarios in her mind. In the possibility that writing ideas down would help it all become clearer, she began a list:

1\. Barry could superspeed through the fortress and get Oliver out of there. (She still liked this idea the best).

2\. Enlist Malcolm's and Nyssa's help, take over the Fortress and get Oliver out of there. (But since she was certain they'd left town in chains, Felicity doubted the probability of this idea).

3\. Amanda could bomb the place and in the confusion they could help Oliver escape. (Felicity had a twinge of conscience about the possibility of killing so-called innocent LOA soldiers. She doubted Amanda would agree to this idea anyway).

4\. Team Arrow sneaks in, locates Oliver, and bring him home. With force, if necessary. (Felicity grudgingly admitted to herself this idea was probably the most likely one they'd try).

Felicity shook her head. After staring at what she'd written, she decided she'd been wrong. Seeing them in print didn't make things any clearer. Suddenly she couldn't come up with any other ideas. She sighed, and then decided she should start brainstorming pros and cons for each possibility. She would certainly feel better once it was all written down in an organized fashion.

As she worked on her list, Felicity couldn't stop the fear she was feeling from enveloping her. Resisting the urge to throw her tablet across the room, she instead saved her work and set the tablet on her coffee table. Felicity grabbed the nearest sofa pillow, buried her face, and allowed the emotions she had so carefully controlled to spill over. How the shock and joy at discovering Oliver alive was so quickly replaced with the despair of only losing him once again to the lunatic intent on ruling the world. She cried until it felt as though she didn't have any more water inside her. She sat up on her couch, took several deep breaths, and slowly walked into her kitchen. Going to the sink, she got herself a glass of water and drank it slowly as her eyes wandered over her surroundings.

The stray thought popped into her mind that it had been too long since she dusted and vacuumed. Not ready to try to sleep, Felicity grabbed her vacuum cleaner out of the closet and set upon cleaning her carpet with a vengeance. After cleaning the carpet to her satisfaction she then set her sights in capturing all dust bunnies which had dared to appear while she was out saving the world. Or at least Oliver.

After capturing all the dust bunnies she was sure were present, Felicity found herself fighting a large yawn. Suddenly feeling like a toddler fighting a nap, she looked around for something else to do. After a moment Felicity shook herself. _What am I doing? I really need to get my sleep. We got a lot to do tomorrow._

Felicity hurried through her pre-bed routine, and crawled between the sheets with a grateful sigh. _Guess I am more tired than I thought. Well, I suppose I should be, with the battle with the Big Bad and all. _She rolled her eyes at herself, made sure her alarm on her cell phone was set, and attempted to fall asleep quickly.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Oliver found himself being dragged down the hallways of Ra's' castle, towards the place where God knows how many people had been whipped. Deciding to chance one more attempt, Oliver was able to pull himself free from his guards. After exchanging punches with them both, and knocking them unconscious, Oliver again attempted to run where he thought was the nearest exit. Surprisingly enough, the rest of the guards had stayed behind with Ra's.

Instead of wasting time wondering about that interesting fact, Oliver ran down several hallways, away from where he thought Ra's was. He was able to knock out the few soldiers he met along the way. After running down two more hallways, without seeing anything resembling an outside door or window, he stopped for a moment.

Struggling to get his heavy breathing under control, Oliver quickly scanned his surroundings and listened for approaching soldiers. How he wished he'd have some of Felicity's intel regarding the layout of the place. He started running again and reached another hallway. Scanning all three directions, he decided to take a left. Suddenly three soldiers stepping out of a doorway to the right of him. It took longer, but Oliver was able to incapacitate them.

Oliver began to run again down the hallway, continuing to keep his ears tuned to any possible dangers. Until the hallway took a sharp turn to the right. And he found himself on the wrong end of Ra's' fist as he took the corner and landed on the floor. Oliver attempted to get the upper hand, connecting with vulnerable flesh, but Ra's rained punches quick and hard on him, finding all his weak spots as he laid there unable to get up.

As sweat and blood got into his eyes, Oliver was pulled up to his feet. This time he only managed to weakly attempt to unsuccessfully break the guards' hold. Oliver tried to look clearly at the man standing in front of him.

"Oliver, Oliver. Are you done with these games? You are not doing yourself any favors by making me so angry." He nodded at the guards. "Now, if you men are up to the task this time, please take Mr. Queen to the punishment room." Looking at the ten soldiers marching up to him, Ra's said, "This time you will be accompanied by extra men. Now get him out of my sight. For now."

Oliver allowed himself to be led through the hallways he had attempted to escape. He barely took in the luxurious decorations, but did note they took an unfamiliar hallway which led into a high-ceilinged room. Oliver was led to the far corner of the room, where five tall posts stood, six feet apart. One of his guards pushed him towards the middle post, causing Oliver to stumble. He managed to catch himself before hitting the post with his head. The guard roughly grabbed Oliver's arms, brought them over his head, and tied them to the top of the post. Oliver didn't take it as a good sign that they didn't remove his shirt.

As he waited for only God knew what, Oliver debated whether to attempt to get out of his bonds. Just as he thought about it, another guard appeared alongside the post. Meeting his eyes, Oliver knew he'd have absolutely no chance for escape.

Suddenly Oliver sensed a change in the environment, and heard the sounds of people kneeling, their swords clanging on the floor. Oliver closed his eyes and took several cleansing breaths to prepare himself for what he was sure was ahead of him. He looked up to find Ra's standing in front of him and wasn't able to stop his startled reaction.

"I usually do not feel the need to participate in the early part of the initiation. However, I am making an exception for you. You have driven me to this….this lowly activity." Ra's took out a whip out of his robes, unrolled it, and cracked it once. He looked at Oliver as he cracked the whip another time. As he walked behind him, Ra's stated, "I usually do not enjoy this, either, but you have angered me enough to override my usual reluctance."

Oliver gritted his teeth and steeled himself for the pain. As the first lashes tore into his back, Oliver stifled his cries of pain. Whippings weren't unfamiliar to him, but with Ra's wielding the whip, Oliver was afraid to see the level of rage Ra's was capable of. There was a possibility, slim as it might be, he might not survive. He pushed that thought away and willed his body to relax as much as he could, in an attempt to limit the pain.

**AN: Thank you for reading this, as we get closer to the end. It doesn't look good for Oliver, does it? Unless Team Arrow comes up with a rescue plan. Stay tuned.**


	11. Chapter 11: Recovery

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; WB/DC does. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you for returning to read this next chapter, and for all the favs, reviews and follows. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Previously:

_"__I usually do not feel the need to participate in the early part of the initiation. However, I am making an exception for you. You have driven me to this….this lowly activity." Ra's took out a whip out of his robes, unrolled it, and cracked it once. He looked at Oliver as he cracked the whip another time. As he walked behind him, Ra's stated, "I usually do not enjoy this, either, but you have angered me enough to override my usual reluctance."_

_Oliver gritted his teeth and steeled himself for the pain. As the first lashes tore into his back, Oliver stifled his cries of pain. Whippings weren't unfamiliar to him, but with Ra's wielding the whip, Oliver was afraid to see the level of rage Ra's was capable of. There was a possibility, slim as it might be, he might not survive. He pushed that thought away and willed his body to relax as much as he could, in an attempt to limit the pain. _

Ra's did not stop the whipping until after Oliver lost consciousness. He made sure no skin on the back side of Oliver's body was untouched by the whip. Ra's alternated the lashes between Oliver's back and legs. Oliver, as a means to distract himself from the pain, kept count of the lashes. At least until the number hit thirty and Oliver lost count. Weakness he no longer could hold back took over and blessed unconsciousness soon followed.

The first thing he was aware of before opening his eyes was lying on dirt. A very uncomfortable surface covered with dirt. His first thought was 'where am I?' As scenes began to play in his mind, Oliver wondered at the fact he didn't startle awake as he usually did. _I guess I'm just too weak to react in my usual way._ Reluctantly he forced his eyes open slowly, and was happy at least for the semi-darkness he found himself in. Less painful to his throbbing head. Iron bars swam into view. Of course. He was in a cell. One of the most basic ones, apparently. Listening he didn't hear any sounds. Too quiet for his own comfort. It probably meant he was in an isolated section of the dungeon. Nowhere near Malcolm and Nyssa.

He closed his eyes again, to rest and to catalog his injuries. His back felt wet. Surely from his own blood. How could Ra's expect him to be an asset to the League if he were seriously hurt? Without even trying to, Oliver thought wryly how he had really done it this time. Gotten the most dangerous man so angry at him he might have caused Oliver permanent damage. If he even survived the rest of this second attempt at "initiation". Oliver pushed those thoughts aside and continued his inventory. He slowly moved his legs, then his arms, fighting back the nausea the movement caused. No broken bones. That was good. However, moving about caused the remnants of his torn shirt to rip away from his barely-scabbed wounds on his back. More pain. _Guess that's why he left my shirt on._

Feeling a little stronger, Oliver opened his eyes. Taking a closer look at his surroundings, Oliver realized he was in a cell he hadn't seen before. This was more Spartan than Sparta itself. He found himself indeed lying on a dirt floor, manacles on his wrists and ankles, chained to a post in the middle of the cell. No cot, no toilet. He did notice a bucket in the corner, out the corner of his eye. Clearly for when 'nature called'.

Without moving his head, Oliver's eyes scanned the walls. No windows in the cell. The walls were solid brick. One good thing about no windows, no light to aggravate his throbbing head. About the only good thing. Even with windows, escape probably wouldn't have been possible that way.

Oliver wondered what time it was, and when to expect Ra's. He couldn't remember much from his first initiation, but doubted remembering anything would make much of a difference. This time, his brainwashing would probably be even more hard-core since he had broken through it once before. With a lifespan of over 400 years, Ra's indeed would have at his disposal mind control techniques Oliver had never known before, much less anticipate which he will use.

Oliver tugged on his chains. Of course very secure. He wished he knew how many dungeons there were within the Fortress. Shaking his head at himself for having the idea, Oliver still had a faint hope that possibly help could come from the other two so-called enemies of Ra's. However, for all he knew, Malcolm and Nyssa might not even be aware of the turn in his circumstances. Or, they could even be dead.

Thinking about rescue, Oliver also worried about the possibility his team would attempt to rescue him. He wasn't sure, without assistance from Malcolm, Nyssa, or himself, his team would be successful in launching a rescue attempt. He was less concerned with himself than with them. His overprotective instinct, never far away from one Oliver Queen, kicked in, but he quickly tamped it down. _Really can't think about that right now. Nothing I can do about it at the moment. _

Deciding he had rested enough, Oliver thought it was time to try sitting up. He got his hands under him and pulled himself up into a sitting position. Despite going slow, his vision still swam in front of him. _Boy, Ra's did do one terrific job on me, didn't he? _He closed his eyes and focused on slowing his breathing for a minute.

Feeling pleased he was feeling slightly better, Oliver decided to lie back down and rest while he could. He slowly lowered himself to the dirt floor once again, and fell asleep shortly after.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Felicity woke up the next morning feeling more optimistic than she had the previous night. She grabbed her tablet and purse and drove to the foundry. She found it in darkness. Sighing, she turned on the lights and the computers. After they were warmed up, she started more searches. _ Maybe I will have better luck this morning. _

Thirty minutes passed with nothing turning up on her searches. Felicity decided to take a break. She walked over to the little corner they had somehow domesticated with a barely serviceable coffee maker, a toaster and even a microwave and small fridge. It had taken them long enough to get those things here. She looked in the fridge and gave a big sigh. _Perhaps I understand Oliver's hesitance in getting this here. Someone has to clean this area and guess who it probably will be._ Making a mental note to clean the area and defrost the fridge sometime this week, Felicity grabbed a mug of coffee, and a leftover muffin and, walked back to her computer.

After eating, Felicity turned her attention to her many scans, and barely registered the other team members straggling in throughout the next thirty minutes. She joined the others at the conference table and looked at them. "So, did anyone else have any more luck?"

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Oliver had been asleep for some time when he suddenly found himself suspended in the air. Trying to swallow the lump in his throat and to focus his blurry eyes on his assailant, he was only a little surprised to find himself at the wrong end of Ra's' grip. He wouldn't have guessed Ra's had almost superhuman strength.

"Look at what you made me do. How far you have made me degrade myself."

Oliver would've loved to answer him, but Ra's was cutting off his air. He was hanging there, suspended, with his legs flapping helplessly. As his gaze was drawn to Ra's', Oliver particularly didn't like the smile appearing on Ra's' face.

As suddenly as he was airborne, Oliver found himself lying in a heap on the floor at Ra's' feet. "Good afternoon, Oliver. I hope your rest has been enjoyable."

Oliver only glared at him. Ra's' actions had reopened the wounds on his back and aggravated the bruises. He doubted he could answer even if he wanted to, his throat was so dry.

Two swift kicks in his abdomen were the answer to his non-response. "Boy, have you already forgotten your manners? Speak when you are spoken to."

Debating his answer, Oliver wondered if there were any answer which wouldn't result in further injury. Deciding to keep it simple he said, "Yes, thank you for the opportunity." Oliver was surprised his dry, chapped lips were able to form a response. Much less the fact he was able to keep sarcasm from coloring his response.

An amused chuckle escaped Ra's lips. "Quite good, Oliver. I know how much that hurt you to say." Turning, Ra's took several steps away from Oliver and, with robes swirling, turned back to face him. "I suppose you are wondering what will happen next."

Again Oliver considered his reply. Biting back the sarcastic reply he wanted to give, Oliver said instead, "Yes, I am."

"I have changed my mind. You present too much trouble to become my heir. I had thought I could succeed with you where I had not with my previous attempt. Unfortunately you have just as much righteousness, and foolish stubbornness, in you as he did."

Oliver was shocked by this information. Ra's had attempted to make someone else his heir? What had happened to him? The use of past tense was particularly worrisome.

"Of course this leaves me the dilemma of what to do with you."

Oliver didn't like that remark. He bit back another smart remark and waited for Ra's to continue.

"What? Still no witty come-back? Perhaps you are learning after all. For all the good it will do you."

Watching a coldness enter Ra's' eyes, Oliver knew he definitely did not like this remark either. He doubted his words would have any sway, but he thought he'd try. "May I make a suggestion?"

Ra's gave a short laugh. "And what would that be?"

Swallowing his pride, Oliver stated, "I am truly sorry for offending you in any way." He forced his voice to remain even. "I have learned my lesson in what happens when you are opposed. It will never happen again."

Ra's began to pace slowly around the cell. "Very good, Oliver. Your apology was top-notch, and I am certain you believe it."

Biting back the anger spurred by the remark, Oliver said neutrally, "Of course I meant it. All I want is to return home and forget about the League completely."

"Should I be offended?"

Amazed he was able to hold himself back, Oliver said, "Not at all. It was all because of Merlyn and my misplaced sense of decency that led me into this entire affair. Remember, Ra's, I never intended to come after you or the League."

"You do make several excellent points, Oliver. And I certainly took out my pound of flesh on you yesterday, that's for sure."

However hopeful Ra's' words were, Oliver kept himself back from believing it would be so easy. And he was right.

"However, I do have to maintain the honor and integrity of the League. You did offend me very much." Ra's walked closer to Oliver and knelt down beside him. "I will think it over, however. I was going to begin your torture this afternoon, but I have decided to review that decision." As the guard opened the cell door, Ra's stated, "Enjoy some more rest. I will be back later."

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Two days later, Ra's had yet to appear again in Oliver's cell. Oliver had spent the days alternating between wondering and worrying, and slowly building up his strength. A servant brought bread, cheese, and water to Oliver three times a day. The servant would also take away his waste bucket and give him a fresh one every evening, as well as a bucket of water and soap for him to wash up. His wounds on his back were scabbing. As far as he could tell, they were healing without infection. There was decreasing pain in the area, no tenderness, and the washcloth showed no infectious discharge.

Oliver couldn't help wondering what Ra's had planned, for he could not grasp what his game plan was. On one hand, he was thankful for the small respite, to build up whatever strength he could, in case he did have the opportunity to attempt a rescue. However, Ra's had seemed most determined in returning the next day to inform Oliver of his "verdict". Knowing his love for games, Oliver doubted Ra's absence meant anything good.

In the middle of the night, Oliver woke up to the sound of his name. Moving on pure instinct, he moved quickly, and struck out at the shadow in front of him.

"Oliver, stop. It's me."

Oliver stopped in mid-swing. He recognized the voice being from one who he now considered to be an enemy.

"Maseo, what the hell?" Oliver asked. _What is Maseo doing in my cell? _

"I'm here to get you to safety."

**AN: So….can/should Oliver trust Maseo? What is Ra's up to, or is he just taunting Oliver? Hopefully the next chapter will be up in a relatively short time. Thanks again for reading, and hope you will write me a note to say whether you enjoyed it. Thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12: Unexpected Happenings

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; WB/DC does. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you for all the favs, reviews and follows. ****Here's the next exciting chapter. Hope you enjoy.**

Previously:

_In the middle of the night, Oliver woke up to the sound of his name. Moving on pure instinct, he moved quickly, and struck out at the shadow in front of him. _

_"__Oliver, stop. It's me."_

_Oliver stopped in mid-swing. He recognized the voice being from one who he now considered to be an enemy. _

_"__Maseo, what the hell?" Oliver asked. What is Maseo doing in my cell? _

_"__I'm here to get you to safety."_

"What do you mean?" Oliver wasn't sure if he could trust his own ears. How could the man who had betrayed him think he would trust him once again? Oliver searched Maseo's face for any clue of either subterfuge or sincerity.

"Exactly what I said. Let's go. We don't have much time."

Could he trust Maseo? Oliver needed more information. Oliver got up and went to the cell bars. Looking in all directions, he didn't see or hear anyone else. He turned back to Maseo and gave a snort of disgust. "How can I trust you, Maseo? You seriously expect me to leave with you? After what you did?"

"Oliver, what else could I have done? If I hadn't, we both would be in chains." Maseo sighed. "Or worse. May I now remove your manacles so we can leave?"

"What makes you think we can escape this place?"

Maseo realized Oliver clearly refused to move without more details. "I was able to work it out so that several soldiers who align with me are on guard duty now. We will escape through a little-known tunnel."

Against every bone in his body crying 'no', Oliver decided to trust Maseo. In case he was on the level, in case any crazy idea he had would work. And if this indeed were another double-cross, at least he would go down fighting instead of being chained in a cell. Oliver sighed and gave Maseo his wrists. Maseo brought out a key, unlocked Oliver's manacles from both his wrists and ankles, and assisted Oliver to his feet.

The two men walked down the hall past other cells, which Oliver wasn't surprised to find were empty.

"Where's Malcolm and Nyssa?"

"They're in the dungeons in the southern part of the Fortress. And no, we're not going to rescue them." After a few steps, Maseo said, "No more questions. We have to go!"

Maseo quickly led him down another darkened passageway, to a wooden door. Taking out another keychain, Maseo unlocked the door, and they stepped into what looked like an actual tunnel. Dark, dusty, and surprisingly narrow, Oliver had to slightly lower himself to avoid hitting his head. It then led the way to one which abruptly turned right, and was larger.

They ran down the passageway at an easy jog. Oliver marveled he was able to keep up with the pace, but he knew adrenaline must be the reason. As they journeyed on, Oliver continued to listen for any sounds of being followed. So far he hadn't heard anything unusual. Until they turned another corner when suddenly shots rang out. Oliver stopped as Maseo fell over in front of him, landing on his back, bullet holes clearly in his skull and chest. Oliver looked up into the eyes of Ra's, walking towards him and pointing a gun. Straight at him.

"Yes, Oliver, you were able to trust him. You should have trusted him sooner." He noticed Oliver's astonished look at the gun. "Yes, even though firearms are so uncouth, they are sometimes the more effective, practical choice." Ra's smiled. "For example, when you wish to make a point."

Oliver's heart sunk to his feet. Not only was escape not possible, he had just watched another friend die trying to help him. Struggling to keep the bitterness out of his voice, Oliver asked, "Did you suspect Maseo? Was that why you left me alone the past two days?"

"Partly. And partly because there was some league business which popped up unexpectantly." Ra's sadly looked down at Maseo's still body. "Such a disappointment. Yet another indication why you should not be in the League."

Despite himself Oliver asked, "Why is that?"

"You can't help but incite rebellion wherever you go."

Oliver observed the large number of soldiers behind Ra's. He then heard the unmistakable sound of boots marching behind him. Turning, he saw more soldiers approach them.

"As you can see, Oliver, escape is not possible."

A soldier stepped up holding a pair of handcuffs. Oliver sighed and held up his wrists.

"Don't worry, Oliver, you won't be in them very long." Before he could consider what Ra's meant, the soldier grabbed him by the shoulders, spun him around, and pushed him. As he regained his balance, successfully avoiding falling, Oliver tried to slow his wildly beating heart as he followed the soldiers down the hall.

Oliver was led through several different passageways before they entered a large high-ceilinged room. In one far corner, two servants were stoking a large pit of embers. Oliver's attention was then drawn upwards to observe a post on either side of the fire pit with links of chain falling from their tops.

"String him up."

Oliver was led roughly over to the poles, his hands uncuffed, and his shirt removed. Manacles were then attached to his wrists. One of the soldiers nodded and Oliver found himself slowly raised by his arms over the pit of coals. The soldier then removed Oliver's shoes and socks. Looking down at Ra's, while hanging in mid-air with his arms outstretched, Oliver grimaced at the satisfied smirk crossing Ra's' face.

"I guess you changed your mind regarding torture," Oliver stated in an attempt at levity.

"Oh yes. You must pay for corrupting Sarab and creating the need to get rid of him. His abilities will be sorely missed."

"Why don't you just dunk him in your magical hot tub, get him back, and we call it even?"

Ra's laughed what actually sounded like a genuine laugh and shook his head. "I will regret killing you, Oliver. Your type of humor is occasionally very entertaining. But like so many good things in life, it also has an eventual ending."

Ra's turned, his robes swirling out behind him. His soldiers followed, leaving only two guards. They took their places on either side of the pit, far enough away, however, to avoid the heat. Oliver was left hanging, already trying to distract himself from the discomfort of his outstretched arms. He knew it was going to be a long day. If he was allowed to survive, that is.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Diggle looked around the table at his colleagues. Felicity was barely hiding her anxiety, while Thea and Roy were displaying nervous energy in preparation for a new mission. His wife Lyla was waiting patiently for him to begin. Ray had his characteristic goofy smile on his face, showing his eagerness for adventure, while Laurel was apparently distracted thinking of something else. Diggle made a mental note to check with her later, in case her worry concerned the mission. Quentin sat beside her, continuing to look somewhat uncomfortable with being included in the planning of an Arrow mission. Diggle looked at Felicity, ready to ask a question but she interrupted.

"I called Barry, and he sends his apologies. Some big bad criminal is attempting to hold Central City hostage. I apologized we weren't able to help him out either at this time." Felicity nodded in acknowledgement of the disappointed looks she received from the others. "Too bad the crooks can't coordinate their attacks, you know, tag team, so we and Team Flash could help each other more and not be busy at the same time." Several groans met her remark. Felicity shrugged and rolled her eyes.

Diggle shrugged good-naturedly. "Well, at least Barry knows where we're going…in case we need a back-up plan."

Laurel rolled her eyes. "I wish we'd have more detailed back-up plans."

"I know, Laurel, me too. We just don't have the time to come up with alternative plans. Hopefully we wouldn't need them."

Laurel gave a coarse laugh. "Of course we'll need them. It is us, after all."

Diggle gave a small smile acknowledging the sentiment but chose not to respond to it. "So, just to let you guys know, Lyla and I have come up with a preliminary plan of attack. I went with the information I had from my earlier visit to the Fortress. Were you able to pull any information at all about the Fortress, Felicity?"

"It took some time, but I was able to find some useful items only a short time ago. I also was able to hack into their security network. I should be able to turn off all the alarms, enabling you guys to get in."

Lyla spoke up. "And even though she refused to offer us back-up, Amanda did offer us the use of one of their planes, arrange a landing spot near the Fortress, and provide transportation to the Fortress."

"So, are we going to be able to take them? Just us eight?" Roy asked. "I mean, how large is Ra's army anyway?"

Diggle looked thoughtful and rubbed his chin. "I have to admit, the last time Oliver and I were able to get into the Fortress with what seemed to be with only minimal effort, I…I wondered if it was because Ra's had…"

"Set you up? You got to be kidding me, Dig?" Felicity asked. "You think that? Then how are we going to get Oliver out of there if the army is larger than we once thought?"

Digg looked at her. "Felicity, this was your idea. Are you having doubts?"

Felicity got up from her chair and began to pace around the room, her hands fluttering nervously as she talked. "I don't know. But we just can't leave him there; you know we can't."

"Blondie, don't worry. We've been trained by the man himself. We'll get him out," Roy said with a smile meant to be encouraging. "I'm sorry I expressed my doubts."

"No, Roy, not if that's how you truly feel. I guess we wouldn't know for sure until we try."

"Besides," Lyla said, "We have more than enough muscle here to make this work."

Felicity nodded in acknowledgement of her teammates' efforts to calm her. "Yeah, well, I have the set-up to run a tape on a loop to interfere with the security cameras. As well as a way to turn off the alarms without being noticed." Felicity sat up suddenly. "Oh, and a distraction by way of alarms going off in a separate part of the Fortress. To pull more soldiers away from the part of the building Oliver is at."

"Good idea, "Diggle said. "We'll pick the location when we find out where Oliver is."

Thea had been listening to the discussion, chewing on her lower lip. "How are we going to find Oliver in that huge place?"

Felicity's eyes darted quickly from one teammate to another. "Um, I may have tagged Oliver with some of those nanites when he and Dig returned from the first visit." As the others bean to murmur, Felicity interrupted. "It seemed the most logical thing to do. He keeps misplacing the clothing we tag, and it worked so well with Merlyn, so I thought why not..."

"I think, Felicity, in this case Oliver will forgive you. I think our chances of success have increased exponentially with this bit of news." Diggle gave Felicity an encouraging smile.

"So, do we know if it will work, our tracking him? Can you tell what part of the fortress he is in right now?" Laurel asked.

"No, we have to be a lot closer. The tracking system unfortunately doesn't work over oceans. But…I'm sure it'll track Oliver once we're over there in Nanda Parbat," Felicity said.

"So is there anything else we need to discuss?" Diggle asked.

Ray said, "Is there anything we need to bring tonight?"

"Lyla and I will have the equipment we need." Diggle looked at the group. "Let's get going then. Go do what you need to do and we'll meet at the airport in two hours."

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Pain. Everywhere. Something was trying to nudge its way into his consciousness, but he tried to push it away and return into blessed unawareness. However, a muscle spasm in his back caused his right arm to move, which brought on a whole new type of pain. Suddenly, Oliver remembered what was wrong and he opened his eyes.

Despite the pain, Oliver was surprised to find himself still in this world instead of at the Pearly Gates. Usually the fire torture ended in death. Instead he apparently was back in his old cell. He listened but again heard nothing. He then began assessing for injuries. Besides his shoulders feeling like they had been dislocated and put back in place, the pain receptors on the bottoms of his feet were sending off quite loud signals as well. Certainly his feet had at least first, if not second, degree burns. As if he didn't have much larger concerns to worry about than not being able to run, given half a chance.

Lost in thought Oliver found himself drifting off again. Deciding that rest was what his body needed the most, he allowed himself to fall into another sleep. He'll think about all of this later, after he's rested.

**AN: Thank you so much for reading this chapter. Bit by bit we are getting to the end of this story. Hope you enjoyed it, and let me know what you liked about it. It is always appreciated. **


	13. Chapter 13: Life as Prisoner once again

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; WB/DC does. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you for all the favs, reviews and follows. ****Please enjoy this new chapter! And thanks for returning!**

Previously:

_Pain. Everywhere. Something was trying to nudge its way into his consciousness, but he tried to push it away and return into blessed unawareness. However, a muscle spasm in his back caused his right arm to move, which brought on a whole new type of pain. Suddenly, Oliver remembered what was wrong and he opened his eyes. _

_Despite the pain, Oliver was surprised to find himself still in this world instead of at the Pearly Gates. Usually the fire torture ended in death. Instead he apparently was back in his old cell. He listened but again heard nothing. He then began assessing for injuries. Besides his shoulders feeling like they had been dislocated and put back in place, the pain receptors on the bottoms of his feet were sending off quite loud signals as well. Certainly his feet had at least first, if not second, degree burns. As if he didn't have much larger concerns to worry about than not being able to run, given half a chance. _

_Lost in thought Oliver found himself drifting off again. Deciding that rest was what his body needed the most, he allowed himself to fall into another sleep. He'll think about all of this later, after he's rested._

Oliver's sleep this time was fitfully interrupted by dreams, bits of reality intermixed with his deepest fears. Either images of his own death or that of his loved ones. Occasionally, memories of what he'd done while under Ra's' mind control surfaced. It wasn't until he relived the moment with Felicity, when he almost had hurt her unnecessarily, that he startled awake.

Oliver laid there awake, in the silence of the old building, reviewing what he'd remembered. He hoped Felicity didn't realize he'd almost hurt her when he had tied her hands. However, it was indeed that moment when she used one of 'their' phrases-"completely unplatonic, I mean platonic circumstances"-which had resulted in his memory being returned to him. Oliver smiled, thinking of what he was sure would be Felicity's reaction when he told her about it.

His smile quickly faded. Who was he kidding? Escape from this mess was more impossible than any of his island adventures had been. How could he even dare to entertain ideas of escape? A small voice inside himself reminded him of his past successes when things were almost as grim. He smirked to himself. 'Almost' was certainly the operative word here. Not to mention those other times he had at least one ally. Now, he didn't have anyone he could count on.

Thinking of allies brought poor Maseo to mind. Oliver tried to push away the guilt over his death, but it stubbornly stayed. So many people had died for him or because of him over the years, and he continued to feel unworthy of their sacrifice. He pushed those thoughts aside. As always, he didn't have the time or luxury to be introspective. He needed to survive this first.

Oliver shook himself. He decided he needed a moment's respite from negative thoughts and his smile returned as he allowed himself to think once again about Felicity. It truly was a miracle how, over three years, she had indeed become a beacon of hope for him. Thinking about Felicity made him think of Diggle. Never would he have thought he'd ever find as good a friend as Tommy. If Felicity were his light, Diggle was his rock, his sage. He'd truly would've been lost in his mission without those two.

Thinking of his team, Oliver wondered whether they would attempt a rescue. Wondered whether they'd consider him a lost cause, or be angry at what he'd done to them, even though it truly wasn't him. Again, part of him hoped they weren't foolish enough to try, that they'd stay safe in Starling.

Tugging at the chains once again, even though he knew it was pointless, Oliver tried to come up with an escape plan. Nothing but clichéd ideas came to him, ones which had no chance of success in this particular situation.

Pushing that topic away, since it had veered into unproductive negativity, he turned his thoughts to possible plans should Team Arrow did come to rescue him. It was certainly unwarranted, but suddenly he began to feel better. Slightly more hopeful that he did have a chance at escape. With a slight smile, Oliver continued to brainstorm for ideas until he fell asleep.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Previously:

_"So is there anything else we need to discuss?" Diggle asked. _

_Ray said, "Is there anything we need to bring tonight?"_

_"Lyla and I will have the equipment we need." Diggle looked at the group. "Let's get going then. Go do what you need to do and we'll meet at the airport in two hours."_

The team left per schedule. The group was uncharacteristically quiet; each person wrapped up in his or her own thoughts.

Once the seatbelts light went off, Diggle went to sit in the empty seat next to Laurel, who had been paging through a magazine. She turned to Diggle, a smile on her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"So, what's worrying you?" Diggle asked.

Laurel gave him a convincing quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

Diggle always thought Laurel was a better liar than Oliver. "Hey, don't lie to me, girl. I can tell something's bothering you. Want to talk about it?"

"It's just…I'm torn about wanting to rescue Nyssa as well as Oliver, or leaving Malcolm to hang by his toenails. I realize if we rescue Nyssa, most likely we will end up rescuing Malcolm as well." She shrugged her slender shoulders. "I don't know if I'm more sick at the thought of having to leave Nyssa behind or actually rescuing that SOB Malcolm."

"And you realize, don't you, we didn't exactly talk about rescuing either one of them?"

Laurel smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess so. But...knowing him, I think Oliver would want us to rescue them as well."

"Well, with him being brainwashed, it's going to be less a rescue as a kidnapping as it is." Diggle blew air through pursed lips. "We should've talked about what to do with Oliver not being himself and how we're going to rescue him without his cooperation. It's going to be tricky."

"I thought that was what we were going to use this time for," Ray said, leaning over the back of their seats. "To plan the infiltration."

Diggle looked at Ray and nodded, clearly impressed with Ray's grasp of the situation. "Yeah, Ray, that's correct."

The rest of the team joined them and they began to discuss the plan to essentially "kidnap" their friend and teammate in order to rescue him.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

"I wonder what you are thinking about, Mr. Queen."

The voice of his enemy startled Oliver out of his thoughts and his half-conscious state. Biting back a sarcastic reply, Oliver watched Ra's approach the bars of the cell as he waited for his captor to continue. He struggled to sit up, feeling a little more secure in meeting Ra's when upright.

"Have you figured out yet that this has all been one giant ruse?"

Taken aback by the strange question Oliver could only stare at Ra's.

"You indeed made me very angry with your impertinence. As indeed my daughter did. And don't get me started on my anger with Al Sa-her."

"As I told you, it was never my intent to either insult or embarrass you."

"Oh, but you did. As well as the other two."

"Are you telling me you never intended to make me your Heir?"

"You are correct. It was simply a means of teaching my daughter a lesson, which with her recent stay in the dungeons, she has indeed learned quite well."

"And Malcolm? Or have you killed him?"

"Oh, I'm not finished punishing him either. No, Mr. Queen, I have not killed him. Yet." A smile which didn't bode Malcolm well crossed Ra's' face. "And I may not kill him. Perhaps I can convince him to return to the League full time. I can certainly use his unique talents, and I could keep a closer eye on him."

"And...me?" Despite himself, and hating that he'd started asking the question, Oliver swallowed and asked, "What are your plans for me?"

"You mean, how long am I going to permit you to live?"

Oliver attempted to not react to Ra's' statement, but he felt the vein in his forehead twitch. By his smirk Oliver knew Ra's had seen it. Meeting his gaze head-on, Oliver said, "Yes, a condemned man is owed at least that."

"How you amuse me, Mr. Queen. I haven't had someone like you to entertain me for quite some time. Several centuries I believe." He shrugged. "So, I have decided I am going to keep you around for a while."

Oliver was conflicted whether he should feel relieved by the statement or scared. By the gleam in Ra's' eyes, he was going to go with scared. But he was going to try his best not to show it.

"Oh, I'm so happy to hear that."

Stepping away from the bars, Ra's turned and gestured. Three soldiers marched to the cell and one opened the door. As two of the soldiers stood on either side of him, the third drew a sword which he held towards Oliver's Adam's apple.

"As you can see, Oliver, we are not taking any more chances. You are now to accompany us to the punishment room for another session."

One soldier unlocked his manacles and "assisted" him to his feet. His fellow soldier then grabbed Oliver's arms painfully behind his back and handcuffed his wrists together, tightening the cuffs as much as he could, causing them to bite into his already injured flesh. Oliver bit back a small cry of pain and followed the soldiers out of his cell.

**AN: Again, thank you for reading. Hope you take the time and let me know what you think; it's always appreciated. **


	14. Chapter 14: Is Rescue Possible?

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; WB/DC does. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you for returning. Especially since this site seems so quiet lately. Makes a person wonder. Thank you for all the favs, reviews and follows. The****y****let me know people are still enjoying ****this****story and help the Muse. ****Oh, o****ne thing****.****I know this is taking place during season 3, and Felicity didn't get the Overwatch code name until season 4, but I am going to pretend she'd had it at this time. (It makes sense to me, since it sounds military, and with Dig's military background, I would've thought he would have suggested it long before it did).****The same for all the code names. Just saying. **

Previously:

_Stepping away from the bars, Ra's turned and gestured. Three soldiers marched to the cell and one opened the door. As two of the soldiers stood on either side of him, the third drew a sword which he held towards Oliver's Adam's apple._

_"As you can see, Oliver, we are not taking any more chances. You are now to accompany us to the punishment room for another session."_

_One soldier unlocked his manacles and "assisted" him to his feet. His fellow soldier then grabbed Oliver's arms painfully behind his back and handcuffed his wrists together, tightening the cuffs as much as he could, causing them to bite into his already injured flesh. Oliver bit back a small cry of pain and followed the soldiers out of his cell._

Oliver was brought to the "punishment room". As they made their way down the various hallways, Oliver attempted to stifle his groans of pain as he attempted to walk on his still-healing soles. After the third time he stumbled, he found guards on either side of him. Bracing him up, they proceeded to half-carry him the rest of the way.

He first was strung up at the whipping post. Just when his broken skin had finally healed, Oliver faced another whipping. The two guards who alternated strikes with the cat o' nines were more talented than their Master, or perhaps more detached. They were able to deliver more strikes than Ra's had done before Oliver lost consciousness, delivering more pain with less blood.

He wasn't allowed blessed oblivion for too long. Suddenly he was cold and wet. He opened his eyes to find a soldier walking away with an empty pail. Through the discomfort he registered he was now suspended in the air between two posts by manacles and chains.

Oliver wondered what the purpose for suspending him in such a fashion without any other accompanying torture. Suddenly a loud screeching tore through the room. Oliver was wet, cold, shivering uncontrollably, and now unable to control the startle reaction brought on by the now present noise torture. With every screech he moved, sending currents of pain through his sore and bleeding body, he swayed back and forth without any way to anchor his feet.

Oliver attempted to clear his mind, to present it with more pleasant distractions, or to consider his predicament, to keep his mind sane. The noise was unending in its continuation, but unpredictable in its pattern, making coherent thinking practically impossible.

Trying to stay awake, because it was hurting too bad when he was startled awake by the noise, Oliver thought over what Ra's had told him in their last conversation. Could he be telling the truth, or was it all part of the torture as well? Perhaps Ra's no longer wanted Oliver as heir, but Oliver suspected he was still desired as part of Ra's' army. Thus, the continued torture, to proceed with breaking him once more. To turn him once again into a brainwashed soldier.

He finally had become somewhat accustomed to the noise when it suddenly changed. Instead, a gong rang out sporadically. With blurry eyes, Oliver looked across the room and saw two servants taking turns banging on a large gong. He wanted to yell out, plead with them to stop. To give him just one moment of blessed peace, but he bit back the response. He attempted to relax his face, for the muscles around his eyes were beginning to spasm from the force with which he clenched his eyes shut with each discordant, unpredictable clang. His ability to concentrate, though, was diminishing as the noise continued to break his resistance.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Previously:

_"I thought that was what we were going to use this time for," Ray said, leaning over the back of their seats. "To plan the infiltration."_

_Diggle looked at Ray and nodded, clearly impressed with Ray's grasp of the situation. "Yeah, Ray, that's correct."_

_The rest of the team joined them and they began to discuss the plan to essentially "kidnap" their friend and teammate in order to rescue him._

The rest of the trip was uneventful, leaving them the opportunity to cement the details of the rescue plan. Once they got outside the Fortress, Felicity, code name Overwatch, and Quentin would remain with the van while the rest went on to the Fortress. With her computer prowess, Felicity would set up the security camera distraction as well as the decoy alarms going off in other sections of the Fortress, hopefully diverting most of Ra's' army away from Oliver. The rest of the team would then go in, rescue Oliver, and get out as quickly as possible. Depending upon what they found once inside, rescue of Nyssa and Malcolm might not be possible. Everyone reluctantly agreed to the wisdom of such a decision, including Laurel, though grudgingly.

A small argument arose when the discussion turned to the subject of deadly force. Understandably, Lyla and Quentin questioned the need for a discussion at all.

"You know why. Because of Oliver's oath to not kill," Felicity said.

"But it is Oliver we're trying to rescue. From a group called 'assassins'," Lyla said.

"Just so it's clear, understandably, if at all possible stun or knock out. Killing is the last resort."

"We soldiers comply to that as well," Lyla mumbled.

Diggle patted her hand. "I know that, dear. We all do."

The rest of the details were sorted out without any further difficulty. They landed in Nanda Parbat at the prearranged airstrip, got into the waiting van and rode to the grounds of the Fortress. Everyone but Felicity and Lance got out. Felicity began to set up her computers and electronic surveillance equipment with Lance's assistance as the rest took off for the Fortress.

When they had reached the outskirts of the Fortress, Spartan (Dig) hailed Felicity. "Overwatch, have you fixed on the Arrow's position yet?"

Overwatch replied, "Yes, it hasn't moved in fifteen minutes. Like as if he is being restrained."

"Where is he then?"

"Southwest part, lower floor." Pause. "I just set up the security back-loop and shut off the alarms in that section." A minute later. "Okay, fire alarm going off in the northeast corner." Thirty seconds later. "Motion alarm now going off on the north side." One more minute later. "Yep, guards are moving to the areas. You guys are good to go."

Spartan and Arsenal (Roy) went first, scouting the area. They soon took out two guards, rounded a corner, and took out two more. Speedy (Thea) and Atom (Ray) were able to keep two more soldiers from attacking Roy. Canary (Laurel) and Harbinger (Lyla) brought up the rear, looking for any surprise attacks which somehow might get past Overwatch.

They made their way through several corridors, Overwatch in their ear guiding them. Five more soldiers were taken down as they approached what they assumed were the stairs leading to the lower level.

"Guys, there are two heat signatures on the outside of the room where Arrow is, and two more inside."

Spartan and Arsenal had gone down the stairs first, cautiously looking around the corners before stepping into the hallway. Suddenly they took down two more. "Sorry," Overwatch cried. "I was watching the top level. Atom and Speedy, two incoming." Sounds of that altercation were heard then immediately quiet as they took care of those two guards.

Spartan and Arsenal motioned for the rest of the team to come down the stairs. Spartan peered around the corner, realizing the door to the room where Arrow was being held was ten feet away. He turned to Arsenal, held up two fingers, and acknowledged Arsenal's nod of understanding. He then held up three fingers. He counted down his fingers and they both charged on one, taking out the two remaining guards. Atom and Speedy joined them before they opened the door and rushed in.

Scouting the area, they headed to the back where Arrow and the guards were. As one of the guards headed towards Arrow, Speedy aimed several arrows at him, knocking him unconscious. The other guard rushed Spartan and Harbinger, attempting to take them out with various kicks and throws. Speedy aimed and shot another arrow, which found its target, knocking the guard also unconscious. Atom and Canary had gone to the men at the gong, and were able to render them unconscious as well.

While the rest of the team took care of the guards, Arsenal had approached Arrow, who had finally noticed what was going on with the cessation of the annoying gong. Arsenal assessed the set-up and pulled out two knives and a lockpick from his hidden pockets. The other members rushed to his side. He handed one of the knives to Speedy.

Spartan instructed the team. "Atom, stand on the other side of Arrow and prepare to brace him up when the chains are let go. Speedy and Arsenal will cut the ropes binding the chains, and I and Atom will catch him."

On Arsenal's signal, he and Speedy cut the ropes securing the chains holding Oliver. Spartan and Atom were then able to catch and support Oliver as he was lowered gently to the ground. Arsenal quickly picked the locks on the manacles.

Oliver looked around him at the teammates surrounding him. "I sure hope you guys aren't a delusion resulting from my torture."

"Ollie, is that really you?" Speedy asked.

"Yes, it's really me, Speedy. My memory came back to me as we left Starling."

"Man, it's sure good to have you back," Spartan said.

After cocking her head, Harbinger said, "I think we should save the catching up for later and get out of here now."

Overwatch's voice interrupted them. "I second that. A small army is heading your way. Head back the way you came and you should avoid most of them."

Atom and Speedy assisted Oliver to stand up. Spartan and Harbinger took the lead, followed by Canary and Oliver's group, while Arsenal covered the rear.

**AN: Yep, ending it there. Shorter than I like, but it kinda feels right. We are getting near the end, I believe. One or two more chapters to go, I think…unless…you never know about that Muse. So, see you soon!**


	15. Chapter 15: Finally, Rescue

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; WB/DC does. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you for returning. ****I did it again...the ending of a story snuck up on me. But at least I got yet another Nanda Parbat story still around from last year done. A huge thanks for reading and following...and as always, reviews are highly desired, encouraged, and appreciated! Enough of my babbling...here's the last chapter. **

Previously:

_After cocking her head, Harbinger said, "I think we should save the catching up for later and get out of here now."_

_Overwatch's voice interrupted them. "I second that. A small army is heading your way. Head back the way you came and you should avoid most of them."_

_Atom and Speedy assisted Oliver to stand up. Spartan and Harbinger took the lead, followed by Canary and Oliver's group, while Arsenal covered the rear._

"Guys, five incoming in front of you," warned Overwatch.

Team Arrow got into position to handle the oncoming assault. Atom and Speedy, with Oliver, fell back while the others battled the soldiers. Several more assassins arrived as they made it to the outside. Slowly Team Arrow made their way to the opening in the fence, battling new assassins who seemed to continue to arrive in an attempt to capture them. However, once they had reached the van, Atom was able to make one grand arc and knock out the remaining assassins with the laser gun in his wrist armor. The team was able to get in quickly and the van took off in a cloud of gravel and dust, with Lance at the wheel.

Surprisingly enough, they were able to get to the hidden airplane and board before jeeps carrying Ra's' soldiers arrived and began to fire on them. As the plane became airborne, Team Arrow as a whole breathed a sigh of relief.

Oliver let himself collapse into the cushion of his seat, allowed his head to roll back, and let out a heavy sigh. Closing his eyes, he took several cleansing breaths then sat up and looked at his team.

"You did it, guys. I wasn't sure it'd be possible. I've never been so happy to see anyone in my life." Including everyone in his gaze, he said, "Thank you."

"I'm going to give you a hug once the sign goes off," Thea said.

"Let me tell you, we were glad to see you alive, that's for sure," Laurel said with a smile.

"And that you were yourself," Diggle added.

Felicity asked in a rush, "Yeah, how were you able to do that? Nyssa led us to believe the brainwashing is pretty much irreversible."

Oliver smiled and looked at Felicity, who blushed slightly at the significant look Oliver was giving her. "When I was back in Starling, while in the warehouse, Felicity made one of her usual remarks. It brought back my memory."

"You mean one of my babbles actually saved the day for once?"

"Yep."

"Wow. What was it again?"

"The 'I thought it would be under more platonic circumstances.'"

Her face turning redder, Felicity blurted out, "Oh yeah, when you were tying me up." Her face got even brighter when she realized what she said.

Thea heard Roy inhale, about to say something. She elbowed him in the side and whispered, "Don't you dare say it." Roy smiled a sheepish smile at her as he shrugged.

"Not to bring up a possible sore subject, but I suppose you didn't see or hear any sign of Nyssa or Malcolm during your time in the Fortress?" Oliver asked.

Laurel fixed an "I told you so" look on Diggle, who said, "No, we had no way of knowing where they were, and we didn't discover any info on them while we were getting to you."

Oliver looked resigned. "Yeah, Maseo had told me they were being kept in the dungeons on the other side of the Fortress." A thought crossed Oliver's mind. "Speaking of finding me...how did you know where I was? I didn't have any of my trackers on me."

The team as a unit looked at Felicity, who again turned pink. "Um, well, you see Oliver, when I found out about the trackers you implanted on Malcolm..."

"You snuck some on me?"

"I didn't think you'd agree willingly, and with your knack of losing your clothes..."

Oliver pretended to glare at her for a moment then relaxed his face into a smile. "Well, there's twice you saved my life during this little adventure of mine."

"Glad to be of assistance," Felicity said primly. Their gazes locked in what the team affectionately called their "eye sex" look for a minute.

"Hate to interrupt whatever this is the two of you do, but...what can we expect from Ra's now?" Lance asked in a gruff voice.

Oliver quickly broke the gaze with Felicity and reviewed in his mind any facts relevant to the valid question. "Yeah, I'm not quite sure what to expect. Felicity, do you mind taking notes while I explore several ideas out loud?" Felicity looked in question at Oliver in light of this most noncharacteristic request. The man in question shrugged. "My mind is, understandably, a little scrambled at the moment."

Felicity smiled and nodded in understanding, got out her tablet and its keyboard and said, "Whenever you're ready."

"First, the question about being his heir. He seemed to waver back and forth whether he really wanted to go through with it.

"He was angry at Nyssa, but he told me he'd punished her enough and was going to reinstate her as heir. And that he was only keeping me around for amusement."

Laurel gave a loud sigh. "I'm not sure if I'm happy about Nyssa. I thought she wanted out of the League."

"No, I do think, when it comes down to it, she really does want her place as Heir," Oliver said.

"And...amusement?" Roy asked, not able to hide a smirk. "Ow! That hurt," he glared at Thea, who simply rolled her eyes.

"Um, in the way of torturing me in many different ways, I suppose. So...needless to say, a large reason why I'm so appreciative for your most timely rescue."

"What about Malcolm?" Thea asked.

"In the same conversation, Ra's told me he decided to bring Malcolm back into the League as well. If he behaves."

"Hmm, interesting," Diggle said softly.

Thea's eyebrows scrunched as she considered this new information. "It could be good for him."

"At least we don't have to worry about him." Laurel looked at her teammates' open-mothed reactions to her remark. "What? Hopefully he's out of our hair."

"So, basically, Ra's has reinstated Nyssa as his heir, has forgiven Malcolm, and had told you he no longer wants you in the League?" Diggle asked. Going for some levity, he said, "I think this means we can close the case on this one."

"Yay! I think so too," Felicity added.

Oliver settled back into his seat. "If no one minds, I'm going to catch a nap." He added with a smirk, "For some reason, I'm really tired."

Nervous laughter met that remark, but the rest of the team settled in their seats as well for the rest of the flight. It was truly a relief for the team to finally be able to relax without the threat of a bloodthirsty assassin hanging over them.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Several months went by, and things basically returned to normal. Oliver had taken two weeks off to recuperate, upon threat of damage to his favorite bow if he didn't rest, and only rest. His team wouldn't tell him so but they were all relieved he didn't have any residual effects resulting from his imprisonment, torture, or brainwashing.

Regarding the criminal element, things were quiet as well. No master criminals, no one threatening to blow up the city. Oliver was happy to breathe easier, to begin to enjoy life once again. After the first few weeks after their return from Nanda Parbat, Oliver half-way expected Ra's to show up. But not one sign of the fearless leader or any of his minions showed up.

One such night Oliver walked into the lair alone. He had given the team the night off, because they deserved it, and things were quiet. With no plans of his own he found himself going to the lair to work off some excess energy.

He walked down the long metal staircase in the dark, waiting to turn the lights on until he had reached the bottom. He stopped in mid-stride to stare at the sight greeting his eyes. Sitting in Felicity's chair was Ra's, with a relaxed smile on his face.

Oliver quickly scanned his nearby environment. No weapons at hand. His bow was across the room, on the other side of Ra's. His escrima sticks were with his uniform in the uniform case. As he debated whether he should charge Ra's or simply attempt to outrun him back up the stairs, the man in question spoke.

"No need to worry, Oliver. I am simply here for a friendly talk."

Oliver looked beyond Ra's into the shadows of the lair, from which three LOA soldiers stepped.

Oliver nodded towards the soldiers. "Then why are they here?"

"Only as a precaution. Like I said, I only want to touch base with you, one last time, on several things."

Oliver took several steps into the lair, away from the staircase, feeling more secure with both his feet on the same surface. "Okay. What do you want to tell me?"

"I wanted to inform you the blood debt of your sister is considered null and void. As well as the one Al Sa-her had on his head." Pausing, Ra's played with a pen he had found on the desk by the keyboard. "Regarding your 'punishment', that is also considered fulfilled. I feel my honor has been restored by the tortures you endured."

_How considerate of you to think that, _Oliver thought, choosing not to say it out loud.

"I know you and your team probably have wondered about my daughter and Al Sa-her. They are both well, and are now once again fulfilling their proper roles in the League quite satisfactorily." Not hiding a smirk, Ra's said, "You are probably very happy to hear that especially regarding Al Sa-her. He will no longer trouble you."

"Why did you come all this way to tell me this? And why now after two months?"

"I am not perfect. I wished you to worry about any remaining obligations or punishment before I took mercy on you and set your mind at ease." Ra's shrugged and added, "Oh, and I had some business in this country as well. So, one might say I was in the neighborhood anyway."

Ra's again smirked as Oliver inhaled, but slowly exhaled, choosing not to reply to the taunt. "The last thing I wish to tell you is my business with Starling City and with you and your team is now finished. As long as none of you interfere with my plans, we shall not see each other again."

"Sounds good to me, Ra's." Biting back several other things Oliver wished to add but wouldn't, he added grudgingly, "Thank you for taking the time to tell me these things."

"You are welcome. We will now take our leave. Have a great life, Mr. Queen."

Oliver backed away from the stairs to allow Ra's and his soldiers to go up the stairs unaccosted. He didn't breathe again until the door had slammed shut behind them. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he walked over to the desk and blindly sat down in the chair.

Closing his eyes, Oliver leaned back in the chair, stretched out his legs and placed his hands behind his head. For the first time in months he allowed true relaxation to flow over him. The entire mess Malcolm had started was truly over. He remained sitting in that position for five minutes. Exhaling noisily, Oliver got up, briefly looked around the Lair to ensure nothing was out of place, and headed back up the stairs. Suddenly all he wanted was to go home. Tomorrow he will update his team, work out those new combinations he'd been wanting to do tonight, and plan the rest of his life. He slowly climbed the stairs, turning the lights off when he'd reach the top. Closing the door tightly, he walked to his bike with a skip in his step he hadn't felt in months.

**AN: Well, there goes another story. Whew! Hope you enjoyed it. Would you consider leaving me a note saying what you liked about it? It would make me feel good. Anyway, another story where Ra's is alive to possibly do something evil to the Arrow gang in the future. No promises, because I think in my mind he will actually return to irritating the Bat clan instead, forever leaving the Arrow gang alone. But, like I said, you never know. So hope to see you soon with my other stories.**


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